Crossroads
by cmar
Summary: Wes and Eric visit some very strange places as they find themselves lost in the multiverse. Crossover between AU PRTF, canon PRTF, DT, MMPR, slash PRTF, and...King Arthur? All I promise is a wild ride... Part 11 'Time' series, Complete.
1. Detour

Wes, Eric, Tommy, Jen and all other characters from Power Rangers belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, however I have not and don't expect to make money from this. 

Rated PG-13: language, sexual references in the last section, including slash elements. 

My thanks to Rach aka The Fink for the idea that started all this, and for a valuable plot element. Also thanks to Shirley Chong for the final explanation. 

The main Wes and Eric here are from my 'Year of Time' series of stories, in which at this point Jen is living in our time, she and Wes are married, and Eric is living with his girlfriend Gaby. It also includes an appearance of my 'Red Fire' slash series, in which Wes and Eric are a couple. 

This grew out of a sort of challenge: to do a really bizarre Time Force crossover - for which I got the suggestion of Time Force/King Arthur. Somehow it morphed into the crossover from hell. Expect to see three versions of Time Force ('Year of Time', canon, and 'Red Fire'), Dino Thunder, King Arthur (sort of), and MMPR (sort of). All I can promise you is a wild ride. 

This chapter's short, but it's only the introduction. 

Reviews are always appreciated. 

**Crossroads**

* * *

Detour

- - -

"What the hell just happened?" 

Eric's voice was almost calm, but Wes knew him well enough to hear the near-panic underneath the surface. He pushed himself up to a sitting position, looking around. They were on the beach northwest of Silver Hills, the same area where Jen's timeship had crash-landed almost four years ago. Both of them were still in one piece, apparently unhurt, but slightly dazed and very confused. It was early evening, a nice day, clouds lining the horizon and just starting to show the dusky pinks and purples of sunset over a blue-gray ocean. Wes climbed stiffly to his feet, raised his arm and touched his morpher, feeling a light breeze ruffling his hair after his Ranger suit disappeared in a glimmer of light, leaving him in his Silver Guardian uniform. But it was all wrong. He shivered slightly, not just from the cool fall air on his wet skin. 

"I don't know... Where's Jen?" he asked. 

"How the hell should I know?" With a quick command to his morpher Eric also transformed back to his navy-blue uniform. "Where's the truck? Where's the _thunderstorm_?" 

"Maybe we should be asking where _we_ are..." 

"Morpher!" Eric raised his wrist again. "Where are we?" After a moment his eyes found Wes's. "It says we're on the beach northwest of the city. Big fat help." 

"Ask it where Jen is!" 

Another question and another silent mental communication from the morpher later, Eric pointed in the direction of a structure they could barely see in the distance, set back from the beach, just outside the line where forest ended and beach began. "It says she's there, in the lifeguards' cabin." 

"Huh? Summer's over, the lifeguards are gone... What would she be doing in an empty cabin? How'd she get there so fast?" 

"Let's go ask her." 

A moment later they were trudging over the sand side by side. Wes stole a glance at Eric's face, finding it set and harsh. He'd never show it, but he was scared - probably getting more so if he felt the same odd sensation of - strangeness - that Wes felt. And yet, Eric's head turned, and he smiled, a little, and reached a hand to pat Wes's shoulder. "I'm sure Jen's fine," he said. 

Wes shook his head, his mind returning to that first question - what had happened? What? It had started as a routine investigation, a report of an abandoned truck someone had seen from the highway along the shoreline. It had been close to the end of a slow day. Jen had been there, waiting for him to go off duty; Eric's girlfriend was working late and he had been bored and wanted to tag along - so the three of them had driven out here... 

- - -

"I guess that's it," Jen said, nodding out the car window in the direction of the shore. "A truck. Looks like someone ran it off the road." 

Wes had been driving slowly as they scanned the beach. Now he pulled off the side of the road and parked, taking a quick look up at the sky. It didn't look promising: gray, dark, laden with heavy clouds. As he switched off the ignition, a few raindrops hit the windshield. 

"Oh, great," he muttered. "Rain." There was a flash of light, followed quickly by a crack of thunder loud enough to make him jump. "_And_ lightning. Wonderful." 

"The forecast didn't say rain," Jen said with an uneasy glance at the sky. "This storm blew up awfully fast." 

"You know what they say about the weather." Wes grinned at her. "Maybe we should just stay here while Eric checks it out." 

"Can't take it, rich boy?" a sarcastic voice asked from the back seat. 

"I can just think of better ways to spend my time." Wes slid an arm around Jen's shoulders, pulling his wife close and nuzzling her ear. Wife. It had been several months, but it still amazed him that they were finally married. 

"Oh Christ... If you're going to start getting mushy, I'm getting out of here." 

Jen laughed, probably at both of them. "Come on, we'll all go. We're a team, rain or snow or dark of night, right?" 

"I think that's the post office." Moments later they were picking their way down a slope, slippery in the increasing rain, towards the truck which was at the edge of the beach, wedged into a clump of bushes and weeds. Wes could feel their mood changing; they might find the driver inside, sick, injured, even dead. 

But, to his relief, they didn't. The driver's compartment of the truck was empty, the doors unlocked. The back too; they opened the loading doors to find only a few stray bits of packing materials and a couple of empty boxes. 

"Someone must have abandoned it here," Eric said. "Any reports lately of stolen vehicles that could match this?" He looked at Jen. 

"Not that I remember." Jen's job as a police detective didn't usually involve stolen trucks, but she might have heard something. "I can call it in, have it towed and traced." 

"Good." Wes looked up at the sky again, as there was another flash of lightning, almost directly overhead, accompanied by a crack of thunder. "I don't like this. Let's get out of here." 

"You know, this is about the same place as where our ship crashed," Jen said, stopping to look down the beach. 

"I know. And where I came looking for you, after Trip came to see me to explain why you had been so rude to me." 

"I - well, I guess I _was_ rude, after you'd just helped us." Jen's face turned down. 

"Sorry." Wes draped an arm around her again, mentally kicking himself. She didn't need the reminder of those days, when she and her teammates had been stranded in a strange time, on a seemingly impossible mission, with their ship destroyed, no place to go, no money, no friends. Even more, she didn't need to be reminded of how she must have felt then, when she thought Alex was dead... He hugged her close. 

"Come on already; let's get out of here before there's a tornado or something!" Eric called. 

Wes looked up again. With amazing speed the sky had filled with thick black clouds; the wind had begun to howl. He shivered. There was something strange about this storm... 

But those thoughts were ripped from his mind as there was a burst of light around them, almost blinding in its brilliance, and a crash that left his ears ringing. He staggered, and twisted to look back the way they had come. 

The truck they had just left behind - smoke was beginning to rise, scorch marks, the red of flame appearing, livid in the unnatural darkness of the storm. 

"Lightning!" Eric shouted. "It's been hit!" 

Wes hesitated, and then started back towards it. "It's starting to burn! Gotta get it away from the trees, could start a bigger fire!" 

Jen caught his arm. "No, too dangerous! It could explode!" 

"One good shove should do it. And the suit'll protect me. You stay back." Without waiting, Wes turned again, and ran towards the truck, raising his arm, ready to be transformed into the Red Ranger. He caught a glimpse of Eric beside him, of Jen hesitating, as he pressed the button on his morpher, hearing Eric's voice at the same moment, shouting his power-up command... 

There was another crash of thunder, another flash of unnatural light. Wes and Eric both instinctively hit the ground. When he looked up again, Wes had a confused impression of seeing the storm through a layer of fog and mist, shrouding them in an unnatural darkness, then of watching it fade into wisps and dissipate as if it had never been, leaving them - here. Wherever that was. 

- - -

"The thunderstorm. That must have been it. Maybe we were hit by another bolt of lightning," Wes said. 

"I don't remember being hit by anything. And that doesn't explain why the storm's suddenly gone. And why Jen's suddenly somewhere else." 

"Here we are... It says she's inside?" They had reached the cabin where the lifeguards assigned to this section of the beach could spend their spare time during the summer, a rundown-looking place - but with a closer look he could see the signs of repairs. Recent ones, as if someone had fixed it up in the last few weeks or months. His trained eye picked out footprints in the sand, leading in and out. Some bigger, some smaller. More than one person. 

"Someone's living here," Eric murmured. 

"Looks that way. Come on." Impatient, Wes started for the door. 

Eric tapped his arm, and drew his blaster when Wes looked back. Increasingly uneasy, Wes pulled his out too, and edged up to the door, which was slightly ajar. As he got closer, the faint sound of voices reached his ears. There was something familiar - he strained to hear, trying to pick out Jen's voice - and there it was, unmistakable... 

With a quick movement he was in the doorway, blaster ready. The people inside, sitting on a collection of aging beach furniture and crates, all turned their heads to stare with identical expressions of shocked surprise on their faces. But they couldn't be any more shocked than Wes himself. 

"What - what..." he stammered. A quick glance to his side showed Eric, also gaping blankly. 

"Wes?" Trip asked, a hesitant smile appearing on his face. 

"Hey, what's with the guns?" Lucas said, his voice sharp. 

"And what are those uniforms?" Katie asked. 

"What are _you_ doing here?" Jen demanded harshly. "Who's that with you?" 

"Jen?" was all Wes could manage to say. 

"Didn't I tell you we don't need you any more when I took the morpher back? Now - just go home, and take your friend with you." 

- - -

  
TBC... 


	2. Backtrack: Part 1

Wes, Eric, Tommy, Jen and all other characters from Power Rangers belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, however I have not and don't expect to make money from this. 

Rated PG-13: language, sexual references in the last section, including slash elements. 

**A/N:** For those not familiar with my 'Year of Time' series, it's a science-fiction AU of Time Force. In it, Trip is a mutant, not an alien; there were no zords or megazords besides the Q-Rex (which was simply a large robot); the mutants didn't grow; and there were only a few of them. Also there are no other Ranger teams, therefore the teamups with Lightspeed and Wild Force and 'Forever Red' never happened. 

Reviews are always appreciated. 

**Crossroads**

* * *

Backtrack - Part 1

- - -

"Something weird's going on." 

Privately Wes thought Eric had just made the understatement of the century, but he made no comment. "Jen, what are you talking about?" he asked. 

"What do you mean, what am I talking about?" She was on her feet now, advancing to confront him, her face angry. "What part of 'Go home' do you not understand?" 

"I don't understand what you're doing here in this lifeguard station. I don't understand what the rest of you guys are doing back here. I - why are you wearing your Time Force uniform?" 

"What else would I be wearing?" Jen's eyes moved beyond him, to focus on Eric, narrowing suspiciously. "Who's _that_? Did you tell him about us?" 

"That's Eric, of course... And actually you told him. Don't you remember?" 

"Remember _what_?" They were nose to nose, Jen glaring at him as if he were a particularly bothersome insect - just like when they first met... 

"Jen..." 

"Not now, Trip!" 

"Jen, look at their wrists!" 

She gave him another second of glowering before stepping back far enough to look down. At first her face just froze, staring, before she raised her eyes again. "_Where did you get that morpher?_" she hissed. "Did you sneak in here somehow..." Her hand reached into a pocket of her uniform, fumbled for a moment, and came out. Again she looked down, this time in disbelief, at the morpher in her hand and then at the identical device on Wes's arm. 

"I don't-" she started. 

"Look," Lucas said quietly, pointing at Eric. "Doesn't that look like the Quantum morpher?" 

"It sure does." Katie stepped past Jen and Wes and grabbed for Eric's arm. "Who are you? What are you doing with that?" 

He tried to pull out of her grasp. "Are you going to start that again? It's mine!" 

"How did you get it?" 

"Ow! Let go of me!" 

"What's going on?" 

In an instant they were all shouting at once, Eric and Katie were struggling, Lucas was moving in on them, Trip was looking anxious and confused. Until Jen's sharp voice cut through the noise, silencing them. 

"Stop it, all of you!" She swept a harsh glare over everyone, making Wes feel like a child caught talking in school. Like she had sometimes when they were all there in 2001... 

"Wait," Wes said. He held up a hand as Jen opened her mouth. "Are you saying you didn't give me my morpher back, a couple of days after we met?" 

"Why would I have done that?" 

"And you don't remember Eric?" 

"Never saw him before." 

It was a hard question to ask, somehow, maybe because it would inevitably sound insane. But he had to ask it. "What year is this?" 

"What?" Jen snorted derisively. "This is _your_ time, and you don't know what year it is?" 

"I'm not sure it _is_ my time." 

"Morpher, when are we?" Eric's voice came quietly from beside him. After a moment he looked up, his eyes wide. "It says it's 2001..." 

"Of course it is," Jen said, but her voice wasn't quite so confident. 

Again, it was Eric who actually said it. "I knew something really weird was going on. An hour ago, we were in 2004." 

"Are you saying you're from the future?" Jen said, scowling. 

"Looks like it," Wes answered. "Or - we're in our past." 

"That's impossible. How could you have-" 

"We don't know!" Eric interrupted her. "It must have been some kind of freak thing. There was a thunderstorm. There was lightning, and this weird fog, and next thing we knew here we are." 

"We didn't see any thunderstorm." 

"It - it disappeared. How do you think we got wet?" Wes demanded. 

"I don't know," Jen said with a strong tone of sarcasm, arms crossed and glaring at him. "How do people usually get wet on a beach?" 

Suddenly inspired, Wes fumbled in his pockets. "Look. My driver's license. Issued in 2002. And this quarter is dated 2003. And..." 

"You could have faked them." But Jen's expression was a little uncertain now. 

"Just hold on for a minute. Let's try to figure this out." Wes faced the others, seeing the shadow of a frown cross Jen's face. She probably didn't like him seeming to take charge like this... so much the Jen he remembered, the one who had resented him for reminding her of Alex. The one who didn't love him, didn't even like him. 

He shook off the thought. "You can see we've both got morphers. In fact, you can see there's two red Chronomorphers, the one you've got and mine. That's got to be proof of something." 

"Well..." Jen frowned at him. "Okay. I'm listening." 

"Good. Okay. Let me try to figure out what's going on here. Exactly when this is." He took a breath. "All of you got here a little while ago from the future, after Ransik escaped through a timehole. You found out you couldn't use your morphers without someone to activate the red morpher first. You asked me to do it." 

"Yes. You turned me down and said I was crazy," Jen said. 

"But I showed up when you were fighting Ransik, Frax, and Nadira in the street." 

"Not fighting so much as having our butts kicked," Lucas muttered. 

Jen shot him a glare. "Yes. You used the morpher and helped us fight them. Thanks. But after that I took the morpher back. I meant what I said then. We don't need your help." 

Eric snorted. "Man, _that_ sounds familiar." 

Jen ignored him. "You're telling me I'm going to give the morpher back to you someday?" 

"You gave it back a couple of days later. After Trip came to talk to me the next day, I understood what you were going through, and why you acted that way, and most of all how important your mission was. The next morning I came out to the beach and asked you to let me help. And you did. You let me use the morpher again. I guess I did okay, because you let me keep it after that." 

"The next day?" Trip asked. "But - the time you used the morpher was two weeks ago. I - I wanted to go to your house and see you, but Jen stopped me." He gave her a guilty look. 

"Two weeks ago... but how's that possible?" Wes frowned. 

"You guys have been living here, instead of the clock tower?" Eric asked. 

"What clock tower?" Katie said blankly. 

Wes and Eric exchanged a glance. "What have you been living on? How have you gotten money?" Eric went on after a moment. 

"We had to - to sell some things," Jen said after a pause. Her eyes fell to her left hand; her lips compressed. 

"Oh, no," Wes said softly. "Alex's ring? You sold it?" 

"How do you know about Alex?" Her face had tightened with anger again. 

"Trip told me. Years ago, for me. Jen, Alex is-" 

"Wes!" Eric's voice was raised just enough to stop him. "We need to have a word. Outside." 

"Okay." After a curt nod from Jen, they walked out the door. By the time they were a few yards from the cabin and Eric turned to face him, Wes had guessed what he wanted. 

And Eric confirmed it. "You were about to tell her Alex is still alive. Wes, she didn't find that out for months. You can't tell her." 

"Why?" Wes waved at the cabin. "She's suffering. In mourning, for a man who isn't even dead." 

"Remember how Jen and the others used to talk about interfering with the past? Now we're in that position. I don't think we should tell them anything we know about what's going to happen." 

"But we could help them defeat Ransik sooner..." 

"Maybe, or maybe we'd somehow prevent them from defeating him. And Wes..." He hesitated, reaching a hand to touch Wes's arm. "If you change anything, Jen might not fall in love with you. Have you thought about that?" 

"Well - shit, you have a point." Wes cast another look at the cabin. "But - on the other hand - something's wrong. From what they told us, things didn't happen the same way I remember. Maybe this sounds crazy, but I don't think we're in our own past." 

Eric sighed. "No, I don't think it's crazy. Did you take a good look at Trip?" 

"I guess not good enough. What?" 

"I don't remember a green gem in his forehead. But he's got one now." 

- - -

"Yes, we're trying to capture Ransik after he escaped and stole a prison ship and a timehole generator," Lucas said twenty minutes later, starting to sound impatient. "If you're from three years in the future, you should know all this stuff. Why are you asking all these questions?" 

"Please, just bear with me. Ransik, and Nadira, and Frax, the robot, right?" 

"Don't forget Gluto," Katie put in. 

"Who?" Eric asked. 

"Gluto," Lucas explained. "Big, ugly, and stupid. Looks like a cross between a whale and a frog." 

"Jesus. You never told me about _him_, Wes." 

"Because he didn't exist." Wes slumped, suddenly feeling tired and defeated. 

"What do you mean, Gluto didn't exist?" Trip asked. 

"I never heard of him. There's other things, too, like the Circuit I remember didn't go flying around like this one. And - you didn't have that gem in your forehead." 

"Wow." Trip stared at him. "If things were different in the past you remember... I have a feeling you guys aren't just from the future." 

"What else could it be?" Jen asked. "Do you think they're from some kind of parallel dimension or alternate future?" 

"It's possible. We've done some experimentation that indicates other realities exist, but we've never had any proof. Until now, I guess." 

Wes thought for a moment, chewing his lip. "I guess it must be true, this isn't the way I remember things. They're not big differences, but still - this isn't my past." 

"So - what now?" Eric asked. "How are we going to get home?" 

They both looked at Trip. He shrugged. "Circuit and I can work on it, but we don't have any way to travel between dimensions." 

"So for now, we're stuck here." 

"I guess so." 

"And we're stuck with _you_," Jen murmured. She offered a half-smile as Wes glanced at her. "Sorry, I didn't mean it quite like that. It's just that - well, this could be a complication." 

"Maybe we could help you." 

"Maybe, but I'm not sure we should let you. You're not supposed to be in this time, and if Trip is right, not even in this reality. Plus you know things about our future here, things we probably shouldn't know yet." 

"Yes, Eric and I were talking about that." Wes smiled as Eric caught his eye with a vaguely smug expression. "But if we're from a different reality, the stuff that happened to us isn't necessarily what's going to happen to you, so maybe it doesn't matter." 

"Maybe," she said. "But the two realities are obviously very close." She sighed. "No, it's best if you tell us as little as possible, and get involved here as little as possible. Best if you can return to your own dimension soon." 

"Believe me, that's what we want, too," Wes said. "I miss my own-" He stopped himself just in time. "I want to go home, too." 

- - -

"At this time, I was just about to get out of the army. I didn't have my house yet, didn't work for Bio-Lab yet; I hadn't met your father yet. Hadn't met Gaby. No one in Silver Hills knows me, except you." Eric was walking beside him, both of them outside again for another consultation, trudging slowly over the sand of the beach in the growing coolness of evening. 

Wes stopped in his tracks. "Shit. I hadn't even thought... There must be another me here, living in my house. I can't even go home." 

"Yeah, I guess not." Eric swept a glance around the empty beach, and out to the darkening horizon. "Our credit cards haven't been issued yet. At least some of our cash hasn't been printed yet. Our jobs don't exist. There's no one we can go to." 

"We'll have to stay here." 

"Not my first choice. But I guess you're right." 

They were quiet for a while, just looking out over the ocean, but what Wes saw was a face... The same face he had been looking at minutes ago, but so different. Over the years he had almost forgotten the rocky start he and Jen had gotten off to. "I have to get back to Jen..." he said, almost to himself. 

"Must be weird for you, being around this Jen. She doesn't seem to like you too much." 

Wes frowned. "Yeah, she was like that at first. It's because I look like Alex. This Jen, at this time - she just saw him die, killed by Ransik. I'm just a reminder. She hates it that I look like him, and she hates it that I'm not like him in other ways." 

"But she changed her mind." 

"Yeah, she did. Of course, I changed too." 

"You grew up." 

"And I did it in a hurry." Wes glanced at his friend and partner. "Without me, they've got no home in this reality. No money. Maybe I can do something for them somehow." 

Eric caught his gaze. "Watch out, Wes," he said softly. "This isn't your Jen. None of those people are the same ones you knew. They're not your problem." 

"But they need help." 

"How can we help them if we can't help ourselves? And you heard Jen. We shouldn't interfere." 

"Well. Maybe." Wes turned to stare unhappily at the darkening horizon again. "What if we can't get back? What if we have to stay here?" 

"Not an option." Eric's voice was as hard and determined as his face. "I don't plan on just giving up. We'd have to leave Silver Hills to avoid bumping into ourselves, and I'm not about to have to start all over again somewhere else. Worry about a job and a home again. Spend the rest of my life without Gaby. No way." 

_Do we have a choice?_ But Wes didn't say it. He swallowed back uncertainty. If they couldn't get home... There was no way he could be with the Jen of this time and this reality. Besides, Eric was right, she wasn't _his_ Jen. The prospect of never seeing his own wife, his father, his home again was suddenly overwhelming. "Yeah, we'll figure it out," he said finally. 

They turned back towards the cabin, side by side. Wes stole a glance at Eric's face, showing no sign on the surface, but the tension still coming through. No, neither of them wanted to show it, but they were both afraid. 

- - -

  
TBC... 


	3. Backtrack: Part 2

Wes, Eric, Tommy, Jen and all other characters from Power Rangers belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, however I have not and don't expect to make money from this. 

Rated PG-13: language, sexual references in the last section, including slash elements. 

**A/N:** For those not familiar with my 'Year of Time' series, it's a science-fiction AU of Time Force. In it, Trip is a mutant, not an alien; there were no zords or megazords besides the Q-Rex (which was simply a large robot); the mutants didn't grow; and there were only a few of them. Also there are no other Ranger teams, therefore the teamups with Lightspeed and Wild Force and 'Forever Red' never happened. 

Reviews are always appreciated. 

**Crossroads**

* * *

Backtrack: Part 2

- - -

Wes chewed morosely on a mouthful of toast and glanced around at his breakfast companions. Eric looked tired and unhappy, and Wes knew he did too after a night spent on the floor of the lifeguards' cabin. He could only be grateful that it had been a reasonably warm night and that the others had come up with a few old pieces of carpeting for them to sleep on. Jen looked like her night had been just as restless as theirs, her shadowed eyes and silence wounding his heart, especially since he knew he was the main cause yet could do nothing about it. 

Between them, he and Eric had come up with over a hundred dollars in cash that they could spend in this time, everything except the newest style of twenty dollar bills. Not much, but enough to let them eat for a few days, and to repay their hosts with breakfast at the cheapest local diner Eric could remember. Briefly he wondered what they were going to do if they were trapped there for any length of time, and then firmly put it out of his mind. 

He could be grateful for some things, anyway. The cabin was small and unappealing, but it had a bathroom and water, and they had been able to shower. Wes and Eric had even managed to make their uniforms a little less conspicuous by removing the equipment harnesses and commander's braids, and leaving the berets behind. Eric had insisted on carrying the blasters, but they were hidden in their jacket pockets. 

And there was a bright spot, a thought that struck him as he looked around again at Jen picking at a plate of eggs, Lucas eating steadily, Katie and Trip whispering something to each other, and Eric sipping his coffee. He smiled. 

"What?" Eric asked, looking up to catch his expression. 

"Nothing. Just wondering what I would have said three years ago if someone told me the six of us would be having breakfast together like this someday." 

"Huh." A corner of Eric's mouth lifted. "I can imagine what _I_ would have said. But I won't repeat it in mixed company." 

"Why? What's so strange about it?" Trip asked. 

"Never mind, you'll probably find out soon enough," Wes said with another smile at Eric. "So - what's the plan for today?" 

He was greeted by stares from the four Time Force officers. "The same as every day," Lucas finally said. "We monitor for signs of mutant activity. If Circuit picks anything up, we go into action." 

"You mean you just wait around for something to happen?" 

"What else are we going to do?" Katie asked. 

"Well - you could try to find some kind of jobs, for one thing. Your money's not going to last forever." 

"Look for work wearing these?" She pulled at the collar of her uniform. "Besides, what kind of jobs could we get, with no ID and no experience?" 

"You could buy some clothes. And you could do something like - odd jobs, maybe." 

"Odd jobs?" Lucas snorted. "Us?" 

"Yeah, why not? And Jen, why don't you give me - the other me - another try? Maybe you'll find out he's not so bad. And he can help you get a place to live, and clothes, and a way to earn money. Not to mention you could use a red Ranger." 

Her expression was stubborn. "I don't want to involve anyone from this time period." 

"But you need him. I know you do." 

"Wes..." Eric frowned at him. 

"Just trying to help." 

"We can take care of ourselves just fine," Jen said flatly. "Are we all done? Let's go." 

"Wes, we talked about this. We shouldn't interfere," Eric muttered as they paid the cashier with the others waiting outside. 

"Eric..." Wes stopped him with a hand on his arm before they turned to the door. "Have you thought - maybe we're here for a purpose. Maybe we're supposed to fix things here, put things back on track, the way they're supposed to be. Maybe we can't leave until we do it." 

"Yeah, and maybe you've been watching too much TV. I think it's safer to just leave things alone. This reality has its own future; we should stay out of it." 

Wes glanced through the glass of the door, at the four Time Force officers standing a few feet away. "Look at them. No money, no decent place to live, no one to help. They won't even have that cabin when summer starts and the lifeguards come back. How are they going to survive long enough to defeat Ransik? They need me." 

"It's Jen, isn't it? You want her to get together with you, or the other you. Wes, you just don't think straight when it comes to her. You can't let your personal feeling get in the way." 

"It's not just Jen! It's all of them. I can't walk away and leave them like this, in trouble." 

"Hey, you guys coming or not?" The door had swung open, and Lucas was staring at them impatiently. 

"Yeah, we're coming. Give us a second," Eric said as Wes looked away, getting his expression under control. They faced each other as the door closed again. "Look, I know you mean well. But at least try to be logical about it." 

"Yeah, I guess." But Wes was unconvinced as they went through the door. 

- - -

Wes and Eric were silent on the walk back to the beach, and Jen's mood seemed to have spread to her teammates. They were a quiet group as they reached the cabin door and filed inside. But Circuit ended that; the mechanical owl computer blinked its eyes, flapped its wings, and greeted them in a high-pitched voice. 

"Rangers! I've picked up a report of a robbery in the city!" 

"What happened?" Jen asked. 

"An armored car was stopped on the highway and robbed by a gang of cyclobots. Nadira was with them. And she had another mutant helping her. From the description, I think it's Mantamobile." 

"Who?" Eric asked with a glance at Wes. 

"Beats me. I guess Ransik brought more mutants with him in this reality than ours." 

"Mantamobile. He's a car thief," Lucas said. "He can control any vehicle. We're going to need some serious wheels to catch him." 

"And we've got them!" Trip exclaimed. They watched him as he dashed to the back of the cabin, where several cases and pieces of equipment were piled. 

"What's he doing?" Eric asked. 

"That's the stuff they salvaged from the time ship when it crashed," Wes answered. 

"I've got it!" Trip cried triumphantly. He came back with a yellow case in his hand, glanced around the room, and then headed outside. 

They all followed, watching Trip kneel, put down the case, and open it. Inside were what appeared to be five toy motorcycles. Wes smiled reminiscently as Trip stood up, said, "Okay, step back and watch this!" held out his arm and pressed a few buttons on his morpher. Beams of light sprang from it to the tiny vehicles, playing over them as they began to glow and slowly rose into the air. With a motion, Trip lowered them to the sand again as they abruptly expanded, growing to life-size. "These are the vectorcycles!" he announced. 

"Wow, cool!" Katie said, giving him a quick hug before stepping up to the yellow 'cycle. 

"Yeah, this is great," Jen said more quietly, claiming the pink one. 

"Incredible!" came from Lucas. 

"With these, we'll be hot on Nadira's tail!" Katie exclaimed. 

"So, what do you think?" Trip asked, looking at Wes and Eric with a grin. 

"They're great," Wes said, adding in a low voice for only Eric to hear, "At least this time we don't have to get them down the clock tower stairs." 

"Rangers!" The call came from behind them. Wes turned to find the still-startling sight of Circuit hovering in the air in the cabin doorway. "Now I'm getting reports of a robbery at the Silver National Bank! It's Nadira and Mantamobile again!" 

"Let's go!" Jen cried. The four Time Force officers took a few steps and fell into a line with Jen slightly in front of the others. "Ready?" she asked, and raised her left arm. They all copied her movements: a quick swing of the arms in and back out, a twist of the upper body, finishing with all of them bringing their hands together and pressing the buttons on their morphers at the same moment while shouting in unison: 

"_Time for Time Force!_" 

Wes blinked as a flash and sparkle surrounded each of his former teammates, leaving them in their pink, blue, green, and yellow Ranger suits. 

"What the hell was that song and dance for?" Eric muttered. 

"Dunno," Wes said. "We just used to press the buttons and go. Something else that's different in this world." Speaking of which... He moved away a step, raised his wrist, touched his morpher, and an instant later was standing in his own red Ranger suit. "I'm coming with you!" he cried, hurrying to mount the red vectorcycle as the others started theirs up. 

"Wes, I don't think you should help them," Eric called after him. 

"I'm going, Eric. They need a red Ranger. They need to see I can do a good job. Are you coming?" 

Eric crossed his arms, his face grim. "No." 

"Suit yourself." Wes stepped hard on the accelerator and took off after the others. 

- - -

"There they are!" Jen said, raising a hand to point as they sped along the almost empty highway just outside of town. 

Wes saw them in the distance. Two cars, coming fast in their direction, the well-remembered glint of light on silver and gold cyclobot bodies, a flash of bright pink from Nadira's hair. It felt almost - nostalgic. "Come on!" he said. "Time to make her give that money back!" 

"Lay down fire across the road!" Jen commanded. Obediently, Lucas, Katie, and Trip fired the blasters Wes realized were built into this version of the vectorcycles, sending three energy beams to hit the pavement ahead. Three fireballs erupted; the cars sped through them and slowed, smoking from the attack. A moment later they sped up again, closing the distance quickly, as the Rangers could see Nadira pointing at them. In the other car was a gray, tentacled, vaguely manta-ray-like creature Wes could only assume was Mantamobile. 

"They're playing chicken!" Lucas shouted as the two cars accelerated straight at them. 

"Fire!" Trip shouted. He suited action to words, energy beams lashing from his 'cycle to hit Mantamobile's car, sending a cascade of sparks and smoke from it. 

But the mutant struck back, a blaster visible from the side of his car before a beam lanced towards Jen's head. She ducked, avoiding it and another shot. Katie took action, firing her own weapons. She and Trip swerved together in front of Jen, then separated as she headed right for the oncoming car. Before Wes could call out a warning, Jen shifted her weight and gripped a control. Amazingly, her 'cycle leaped into the air, clearing the car as she summoned her blaster and fired downwards. 

Wes could spare no more attention for them; he and Lucas avoided a collision with Nadira's car, screeched into a tight turn, and roared in pursuit. The 'cycles were as fast as he remembered; in less than a minute they were pulling alongside. 

"I'll stop them!" Lucas said, swerving closer. Before Wes could react, Lucas had jumped from his vectorcycle into the back seat, briefly wrestling with a cyclobot before kicking it from the car. But Nadira took her opportunity and lunged at him, shoving him out to fall heavily to the street. 

"Lucas!" Wes shouted, slowing to a stop. 

"I'm okay!" The blue Ranger was already climbing to his feet. "Go after them!" 

Wes did, quickly catching up again. He pulled a distance ahead, braked, and spun to a stop. Carefully, he took aim with the unfamiliar vectorcycle blaster, and fired. The car still sped at him. He fired again. This time there was a screech of tires before it flew off the side of the road and came to a crashing stop in a stand of bushes. 

The sound of an engine alerted Wes. He looked up in time to see the other car, with Mantamobile still inside, meet a similar fate only a few yards away as the pink, yellow, and green Rangers chased it off the road into a ditch. He also saw Lucas approaching, back on his 'cycle, behind them. When he glanced back to his own target, it was only to see the twinkle of light that told him Nadira had teleported away, along with her cyclobots. 

"She got away!" he yelled in frustration. 

"Never mind her! Come on!" Trip called. 

They all abandoned their 'cycles and ran to pursue Mantamobile, who had fled into the field beside the highway. Apparently realizing he couldn't escape, he turned to face them. 

"Make it easy on yourself and give up!" Wes shouted, summoning his blaster. 

In answer, the mutant raised two tentacles at him, somehow elongating them, so that they shot in his direction too fast to dodge. They wrapped around his upper arms and yanked him into the air. He fell back to the ground with a jarring impact, tried to get to his feet and pull free, only to feel a searing jolt of what seemed to be electricity. He cried out in pain, only dimly aware of Lucas leaping in front of him, swinging a long bladed weapon, while the others fired some sort of blaster cannons at Mantamobile. In another instant he was free, realizing that Lucas had cut through the tentacles. As he looked for his attacker, an explosive fireball made him shield his eyes. 

"What happened?" he gasped. Mantamobile - he had been caught in that explosion. "Is he dead?" 

"Of course not!" Mantamobile himself answered the question, his body smoking but otherwise apparently unharmed. "You're all asking for _big_ trouble!" 

What happened next had Wes seriously doubting his own sanity. The mutant pulled something off his shoulder. And - grew. He shot up in size, expanding like a mutated balloon, in a couple of seconds towering over them, as big as a respectable-sized building. As Wes stared up, jaw dropping in amazed disbelief, he raised his fists and gave a booming and maniacal laugh, remaining tentacles coiling into the air. 

_"What the fuck is **that**?!"_ a familiar voice shouted over the communicator in Wes's helmet. 

"I don't - I don't know! Eric?" Wes dragged his eyes away from Mantamobile, who at least seemed to have stopped getting bigger, and saw a small aircraft whiz overhead and circle the giant mutant. He recognized Eric's TF Eagle. 

_"Yeah! Figured you'd just get yourself killed without me, and take the other guys with you. Looks like I was right!"_

"Mantamobile's exposed his mutant DNA!" Trip said, bringing his morpher up to his face. "Circuit, we need help!" 

_"You got it!"_

"Help?" Wes asked, apprehensively watching Eric send a few blasts at the mutant and barely dodge as it swatted at his flyer. "What kind of help are we going to get against _that_?" 

And the answer came with unbelievable swiftness, as he looked around frantically at another astonished curse from Eric. A second monstrosity swooped down seemingly from nowhere to land with a deep thud in front of the giant mutant. A robot, as best he could make out, blocky, thick-bodied, multicolored and studded with strange devices, as big as Mantamobile was now, as big as Frax's giant robot and the Q-Rex had been in his own world. It stalked stiff-legged toward the mutant, who had retreated several huge steps towards the city. 

"Come on!" Jen cried. She and her three teammates seemed to jump into the air, and disappeared in four multicolored twinkles of light. 

"Guys?" Wes shouted. "What happened? Where are you?" 

_"We're in the megazord, of course! Just stay out of our way! That goes for you, too, Eric!"_

"You're in the _what_? Oh, I give up..." 

The battle was hard to follow as Wes ran after the two towering figures, trying to keep up as they exchanged several bolts of energy; as the megazord, as Jen had called it, pulled a variety of strange weapons out of the air and used them, slashing sparking wounds across the mutant. Unfortunately it seemed to have little effect. Eric was doing what he could, darting in to sting the enemy with the weapons in his Eagle but providing little more than a distraction. Still, perhaps it helped. As Wes panted to a stop, he looked up to see the megazord lift a huge sword high in the air, sweep it in a circle leaving a trail of glowing energy, and then across Mantamobile. The huge mutant staggered back, writhed briefly, and finally collapsed and disappeared in another explosive fireball. 

With its opponent defeated, the robot stepped back, straightening in what appeared to be a triumphant pose. As it lifted into the sky, the familiar black and purple swirl of a timehole appeared above it just long enough for it to fly inside and vanish. 

Wes stared in disbelief. Jen, Lucas, Trip, and Katie had somehow reappeared a few yards away, and were obviously congratulating each other as Jen collected what he recognized as the cryogenically shrunken form of Mantamobile from the wreckage of their battle and stored him in a Time Force prison container. 

Eric's flyer swept down to a landing nearby, and he quickly climbed out and jumped to the street, running up to him. "What kind of shit is this?" he demanded, waving a hand at the destruction. "Growing mutants? Giant robots coming out of nowhere, stomping all over the city and zooming off into timeholes? Is everything in this friggin' dimension totally screwed?" 

"Eric!" Jen and the others had joined them. "Watch your mouth! Rangers don't use that kind of language!" 

"_What_!" His posture stiffened with indignation. "I'll say whatever I fu-" 

"Look!" Wes interrupted. He pointed at the small crowd of bystanders that had collected on the street they were now on. At one person in particular, a young man with dark blond hair, who was staring at his suited and helmeted form with an expression of resentment and envy before turning away. 

"It's you, Wes. The other you." 

"Yeah. Poor guy. I bet he wishes it was him in this suit." 

"Maybe." Jen was at his side, also watching. 

"You know, he was pretty good the time he morphed with us to fight Ransik," Lucas said. 

"And he's really a nice guy," Trip added. 

"If he's anything like _this_ Wes, he could be a big help," Katie said hopefully. 

Jen sighed. "I guess you're right. I'll give him another chance, if he still wants it." 

"He'll want it," Wes said confidently. 

"Wes..." Eric's voice pulled his attention away. He followed his partner's pointing arm up, to the sky. A bank of clouds seemed to be blowing in, dark clouds, moving faster than the light breeze would account for. As they blocked the sun, a shadow fell over the street, and he saw an arc of lightning. It all looked very familiar. 

"It's the same storm," he said slowly. 

"Yeah. It's like it followed us here." 

"Maybe it'll take us home!" 

"Maybe. I'm willing to take the chance. Anything's better than staying here." 

There was a sharp crack as lightening stabbed through the gathering darkness again. "We may not have a choice anyway!" Wes said. "Come on, let's fly up in the Eagle. If it's after _us_... Don't want lightning hitting anyone in the street!" 

"Wes!" Jen's voice stopped him as he and Eric turned to the small flyer. "I - good luck!" 

"Thanks! And good luck here, with everything!" He grinned and waved to the others. "If your Wes takes you to a dusty old clock tower, don't be too disappointed! It'll work out!" 

"And if you meet someone who looks like me a couple of months from now," Eric called from beside him, "try cutting him some slack! Might make things easier for all of you!" 

"What happened to not telling them anything? Not interfering?" Wes asked quietly as they jumped up onto the Eagle. 

"This reality is so messed up I don't see how we can possibly make it any worse. Come on!" 

A moment later they were airborne, Wes hanging onto his perch on the wing as they climbed up to the clouds. In a few seconds the storm swept over them, light fading to almost complete darkness, a wash of rain, thunder deafening him as whiteness burst around them, a patch of grayness as fog and mist swallowed them... and then... 

- - -

The sky was blue and clear, marked only with a few distant clouds. Sun glinted on the metal of the Eagle as it banked and slowed, then began a gradual descent. Wes looked down. They were over lush, green countryside, no sign of the sandy coastline that should have been visible in the distance. A small and unfamiliar city was nestled in the midst of the forest not far away. Eric turned them in that direction. As they flew overhead, what he was fearing became even more obvious. 

"Where are we?" he asked. 

"Beats me," Eric answered. "But something tells me we're still not in Kansas anymore." 

- - -

  
TBC... 


	4. Sleeping Bones: Part 1

Wes, Eric, Tommy, Jen and all other characters from Power Rangers belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, however I have not and don't expect to make money from this. 

Rated PG-13: language, sexual references in the last section, including slash elements. 

**A/N:** For those not familiar with my 'Year of Time' series, it's a science-fiction AU of Time Force. In it, there were no zords or megazords besides the Q-Rex (which was simply a large robot); the mutants didn't grow; and there were only a few of them. Also there are no other Ranger teams, therefore the teamups with Lightspeed and Wild Force and 'Forever Red' never happened. 

The Dino Thunder section takes place after 'The Passion of Conner' and before 'Strange Relations'. 

The spelling of Conner's name is now corrected - my thanks to Etcetera Kit for pointing it out. 

Reviews are always appreciated. 

**Crossroads**

* * *

Sleeping Bones: Part 1

- - -

"If that isn't Silver Hills - then where are we?" Wes could feel the disappointment and renewed fear like a cold lump in his stomach. Had they been transported to another place as well as another time and another reality? Were they worse off than before? 

Eric's voice was just as tense as Wes's gut. "My morpher says we're in California at least. Someplace called Reefside, farther north than Silver Hills." 

Wes stared down at thick forest and grassy hills. "Strange. Doesn't really look like California. And - what time is it? What year?" 

"Fall 2004. Back to our own time, anyway. Maybe we can just fly home." 

"Sounds like a plan." 

"Hang on while I try to get my bearings." 

The small aircraft swept a low, long circle above the treetops, skirting the unfamiliar city. Reefside. Wes tried to remember if he had ever heard of it, and drew a blank. He looked curiously as they came near the downtown section, tall buildings, parks, a nice-looking place except for the occasional signs of recent destruction and repairs. "Looks like they've had some trouble here," he remarked. 

"Uh-huh." 

Now they were heading away from town, over a scattering of houses, then a stretch of forest. Eric must have decided which direction to go in. Wes tried to relax and get comfortable, lying on the Eagle's wing, watching the land beneath them as Eric picked up speed... 

"Hey! What was that?" 

"What was what?" 

"Go back a minute! I saw something!" 

"Geez..." But they slowed and turned as sharply as Eric could manage without throwing him off. In moments they approached the scene Wes had glimpsed. 

It was a small group of people fighting in what appeared to be an abandoned quarry, that much was obvious. The one all the others seemed to be attacking was wearing a form-fitting black suit with a trim of gold diamond shapes up and down the sides of his arms and legs, complete with an opaque-visored helmet. It struck Wes that it looked very similar to his and Eric's Ranger suits. 

Two of the people he was trying to defend himself from - were less easy to define. One was a man - or something - encased entirely in armor-like black leather and metal, his head also helmeted. One was a woman in tight black leather that left her head, shoulders, and upper arms bare, a ponytail of black hair streaming down her back. She might have been attractive if not for black lipstick, heavy makeup, and the expression of hatred on her face. The third - wore another Ranger-like suit similar to the first but with the colors reversed, white trimmed with jagged black, the visor of his helmet red. 

"Who are they?" 

"How should I know, Wes?" 

"Three against one..." 

"Don't start. We have no idea what's going on here. It's none of our business." 

But he continued to circle as they watched the black and gold-suited man go down in a concentrated burst of energy blasts. The other three surrounded him, moving triumphantly closer. The man rolled onto his side, and made a pitiful attempt to get up, managing to climb onto his hands and knees. The black-armored one stepped in front of the others, gesturing them back, then lifting what appeared to be a sword. As he swung it down, a beam of glowing energy arced from it. Even in the air, Wes could hear the man on the ground cry out in pain when it struck. 

As the flare of the energy blast faded, there was another, quick flash of glimmering light, one that seemed very familiar. The black and gold suit disappeared into it, leaving a pale and very vulnerable looking man dressed in ordinary clothes, weakly trying to push himself up and crawl away as the armored figure slowly raised the weapon above his head again and stepped closer, laughing softly... 

"_Hey!_" Eric shouted. 

The Eagle dived, almost unseating Wes, heading right for the combatants. After getting a firmer grip, Wes summoned his blaster and sent a beam sizzling down to hit at armor-man's feet. Four startled faces - or two faces and two helmets - turned to look up. As the flyer reached the lowest point of its descent and leveled out Wes leaped from the wing, landing almost between the demorphed man and his attackers. A thump and a glance showed Eric right beside him. 

"Who are _you_?" the woman snarled. "How dare you interfere!" 

"Three against one doesn't seem like fair odds to me!" Wes said. 

"And hitting a guy when he's down looks even worse to me," Eric added. 

"Then we'll just have to destroy you along with him," the white-suited man said in a strange, almost artificial-sounding voice. 

"You're welcome to try," Eric said with deceptive softness. 

"No one stands between me and my revenge!" Armor-man shouted, and swung his sword up and at Wes's head. 

Reflexively Wes ducked, dropped to one knee, and swept the other foot out to kick at his attacker's ankles, unbalancing him enough to force him to stagger back a few steps. He leaped up and blocked the other man's sword arm as it came at him again, side-kicked, and summoned his blaster. The energy beam he shot at his opponent had little effect. 

Eric was up against both the white-suited man and the woman, using all the speed and skill he possessed as a martial artist along with his Ranger powers, gracefully weaving between them. He spin-kicked at the woman, driving her back, then switched sides to land a boot solidly in the man's chest. In another instant the Quantum Defender was in his hand, a quick burst bringing White-suit down. Perhaps he didn't want to shoot the woman, or had underestimated her; she proved herself stronger than she looked by springing at him, driving an elbow into his stomach and doubling him up. 

Wes spared a glance for the man they were trying to protect, but he seemed to have disappeared. As he dived to dodge a beam of energy from his own opponent, rolled back to his feet and fired in return, he saw the woman suddenly fly backwards away from Eric as if yanked by an invisible arm, but had no time to wonder about it as he was forced to twist away from another slash. Stumbling backwards, he lost his balance and fell, seeing the sword rise over him... 

A brilliant flash made him blink. His attacker fell back as an energy beam struck him square in the chest and a voice shouted from behind Wes. "Leave him alone, Zeltrax!" 

Wes twisted to face the new arrivals. There were four of them, in suits of the same general design as the man in black and gold. One of them, standing a little in front, was in red, one in blue, the only woman was in yellow - and the last man wore white, identical to one of their opponents. They advanced a few steps. 

"Where's the black Ranger? What have you done to him?" the same voice asked, coming from the red-suited man. 

"That's for you to find out," the woman in black growled. She straightened, and turned her head to her companion in white. "Let's get out of here." 

"Elsa! You would leave me to fight them alone?" Zeltrax shouted at her angrily. 

"We're no longer allies, in case you've forgotten," she answered coolly. "We made a truce only long enough to dispose of the black Ranger. At which you've failed, just like every other time." Her lips curled. "Good luck." In twin flashes of light, they disappeared. 

Apparently Zeltrax didn't like the odds. "This isn't over, Rangers!" he snarled. "For any of you!" In a pillar of light springing from his body up into the air, he was gone as well. 

There was silence for a second or two, as Eric stepped to Wes's side and they stared at the other four. Then the woman turned her head and asked anxiously, "Where's Dr. O? Hayley said he was in trouble!" 

"I _was_ in trouble. In fact I would have been toast if these two hadn't shown up when they did." 

Wes jumped. The voice had come out of nowhere, only a few feet in front of him. As he blinked in disbelief, the air seemed to waver and distort into a blur, and a form - the same man they had rescued - stepped out of it, smiling at them. He seemed to be around thirty, an inch or two taller than himself and Eric, with an athletic build and short, spiky dark hair. 

"Wes, Eric," he said. "Thanks, I owe you one." 

"Hey, I remember them!" the man in red exclaimed. With a quick chopping gesture of his arms and a "Power down!" he demorphed, revealing a tall teenager with brown hair. "They're the Time Force Rangers!" 

"Right, Conner. Wes Collins and Eric Myers, I'd like you to meet Conner McKnight, the red Dino Thunder Ranger. And..." The others had also shed their Ranger suits and were approaching. "Ethan James, the blue Ranger, Kira Ford, yellow, and Trent Fernandez, white." He pointed out a short black man - or boy, really - a blonde girl, and another boy, all appearing to be around seventeen. 

Wes glanced at Eric, who shrugged silently. He touched his morpher, and Eric muttered, "Power down." 

"Glad we could help out," Wes said. "But I'm afraid we're not who you think we are. We've never seen any of you before." 

The man's smile faltered and his forehead creased in confusion. "You don't remember me? Tommy Oliver? We teamed up with the other red Rangers to destroy Serpentera on the moon?" 

"Sorry," Wes said, as he and Eric exchanged another look. 

"What other red Rangers?" Eric asked skeptically, his eyes moving to Conner. "You mean there's more besides _him_?" 

"There's a lot more," Tommy said. "Look, maybe we'd better get out of here. Obviously we have a lot to talk about, and we'll be more comfortable at my house." 

- - -

Tommy hung up the phone, looking somber as well as perplexed. "I just talked to Eric Myers at Bio-Lab. He said Wes left a few minutes ago on a field assignment. Neither of them have been out of Silver Hills for weeks." 

"Told you," Eric said. 

"That just leaves the question of who you two are." 

"We're Wes Collins and Eric Myers," Wes said, "but not the ones you know. We're from - a different dimension or something, I guess." He spent the next half-hour telling Tommy about their visit to an alternate version of their own past, finishing with, "We don't know if we're in a different reality now, or the same one and just back in our own time. And we don't know how to get home." 

"So you never met me before, or Cole, or Carter. You've never even heard of any other Ranger teams before today." 

"Nope. How many are there?" Eric asked. 

Tommy sighed. "Quite a few. There was a lot of overlap in the first years, but I guess my current team is something like the twelfth." 

"Twelve?" Wes exclaimed. "But how? Our morphers were built hundreds of years in the future. How could there be that kind of technology in the present?" 

"It wasn't really technology, most of it. And I guess you've never heard of Zordon, either." Tommy stood up. "Kind of a long story. Let me get us something to drink, and find some food. You're probably hungry." 

"Well - yeah, lunch sounds good." 

"It's closer to dinner. Be right back." 

With Tommy in the kitchen, Wes took his time looking around the comfortable if slightly cluttered living room. The other Rangers had gone, rather reluctantly, but Tommy had said they needed to get home to their parents. 

"Even if this is a different dimension than the one we just left, it's just as lame," Eric muttered. "High school kids being Rangers. Shit." 

"They did seem kind of young." 

"And those guys we were fighting. Weird." 

"At least none of them suddenly got sixty feet high." 

"Yeah, thank God for small favors." 

They stopped talking as Tommy returned with a tray holding bread, cold cuts, and glasses of soda. Wes hadn't fully realized how hungry he was; he dug in, at first eagerly, then gradually almost forgetting what he was eating as Tommy told his story. The history of the Power Rangers, at least in his world. 

Ancient, mysterious alien beings. A floating head trapped in an interdimensional tube. A parade of superpowerful villains with various schemes to take over the world or sometimes the universe. Each time, a team of Rangers formed to meet the threat, each time succeeding after a terrible struggle. Now there was Mesogog, a reptilian creature who wanted to return the Earth to the age of the dinosaurs, helped by Elsa and an evil clone they had created of the current white Ranger; and Zeltrax, his former lieutenant, the armored man they had fought. It was exciting, colorful, enthralling. And completely incredible. 

"Damn," Eric said emphatically when Tommy had finished talking. "You expect us to believe that load of bullshit?" 

"You're Rangers yourselves, some similar things must have happened to you. You saw Zeltrax, Elsa, and the clone white Ranger for yourselves." He frowned. "And - you should watch what you're saying around here. Rangers don't use that kind of language." 

"Christ. Not you, too. I've _got_ to get out of this dimension." 

"Well, we did run into a few giant robots," Wes said. "And the Q-Rex was a lot like that megazord Jen and the others used." 

"The Q-Rex could have beat the pants off that thing," Eric muttered. "But I guess you're right. Except we _didn't_ have any growing mutants." 

"Every villain from Rita to Mesagog has been able to make their monsters grow some way or another," Tommy said. 

"Figures. And I guess you and the Junior Rangers have one of those zords, too?" 

Tommy smiled. "Actually, we each have one. Some of them combine." 

"And what about that invisibility trick of yours?" Wes asked as Eric scowled in obvious disgust. 

"The dino gems that make us Rangers also give us extra powers, even when we're not in the suits. Mine is invisibility. Very useful sometimes, like today." 

"I'll bet. You seem to know a lot about all this. How long have you guys been Rangers?" 

"The others - several months. I'm - sort of an exception, I guess. I've been a Ranger before. More than once. The first time was over ten years ago, when I wasn't any older than Conner, Ethan, Kira, and Trent. I lost my powers... got more... lost them again... I've been a green Ranger, white, red, and now black. Been so many colors, my friends used to call me Technicolor Tommy..." His eyes had moved beyond them, losing focus, and he suddenly looked - tired. 

"You don't seem too happy about it," Eric said. 

"No - it has to be done. I've got a great team. I know we'll win out in the end. But... sometimes I guess I wonder when it'll end." He blinked and smiled again. "It's getting late. Don't know about you, but I'm tired." 

Wes glanced at the window. He hadn't even noticed when it got dark, hadn't realized before now that they had been sitting in this room, talking, for hours. Unexpectedly, he yawned. "Yeah, us too," he said. "Didn't get too much sleep last night, either." 

"You're welcome to stay here. I have a guest room with two beds, if you don't mind sharing." 

"After last night, I'm just glad to have a bed," Eric said. "Thanks." 

"Yeah, thanks for everything," Wes added. 

"Hey, you guys saved my life." Tommy stood up. "I have a partner who takes care of our technical stuff, the zords and weapons. Tomorrow, I'll ask her to come over and see if she can come up with a way to get you home." 

- - -

"Home," Wes said wistfully. "I miss it. I miss Jen." 

"Yeah, well, you're not _my_ ideal sleeping companion either. No offense." 

"None taken." Wes smiled despite the anxiety that seemed to grow stronger now that there were no distractions. He was lying in a comfortable bed in Tommy's guest room, staring at a darkened ceiling, trying to go to sleep and failing miserably. Jen... he hadn't realized how much he missed her until he felt her absence from his side, her warm body pressed against his, even just her weight on the mattress... "I guess you miss Gaby, too," he said, partly to distract himself. 

"Yeah." It sounded abrupt. Eric, as always, not showing what he felt. 

"I wonder what we're supposed to do here." 

"What do you mean?" 

"Well - last time the thunderstorm came for us right after Jen agreed to give the other Wes another chance. That's what we had to do there, put things back the way they're supposed to be. There must be something we're supposed to do here, but I don't see what." 

"Jesus, Wes, this isn't _Quantum Leap_. Last time was just a coincidence. We're not 'supposed' to do anything except get out of here and go home." 

"How do you know?" 

"Okay, fine. We saved Tommy's butt. Maybe that was it." 

"Then why are we still here?" 

Eric's voice held exaggerated patience. "Maybe the Great Power or whatever wants us to get a good night's sleep first. So if you can manage to shut up for about eight hours, then we can go home." 

Wes grinned. "Quit kidding around. I'm serious." 

"So am I. I'm sleepy." The sound of a yawn reached across the room, then silence. 

"Eric?" 

"Yeah?" 

"Maybe it's Tommy. I don't know, he seemed a little unhappy. Or those kids, maybe they don't really want to be Rangers. Or maybe we're supposed to help them take care of Mesogog." 

"Yeah, maybe. Figure it out in the morning." There was another pause. 

"Eric?" 

"What now?" 

"Think we'll ever get back?" It sounded sadder and more hopeless than Wes had really intended. 

There was a pause, and Wes could hear the springs creak as Eric shifted position before the reply came. "Of course we will. We've always done it before, haven't we? Even if we have to find that Zordon weirdo, we'll get home." 

"But Tommy said Zordon's gone..." 

"Just get some sleep, Wes." 

"Okay. Goodnight, Eric." But Wes continued to stare up at the ceiling. 

- - -

  
TBC... 


	5. Sleeping Bones: Part 2

Wes, Eric, Tommy, Jen and all other characters from Power Rangers belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, however I have not and don't expect to make money from this. 

Rated PG-13: language, sexual references in the last section, including slash elements. 

**A/N:** For those not familiar with my 'Year of Time' series, it's a science-fiction AU of Time Force. In it, Trip is a mutant, not an alien; there were no zords or megazords besides the Q-Rex (which was simply a large robot); the mutants didn't grow; and there were only a few of them. Also there are no other Ranger teams, therefore the teamups with Lightspeed and Wild Force and 'Forever Red' never happened. 

With apologies to The Fink's much better Tommy - Eric match in _Loves Lost Love's Gain_. 

The spelling of Conner's name is now corrected - my thanks to Etcetera Kit for pointing it out. 

Reviews are always appreciated. 

**Crossroads**

* * *

Sleeping Bones - Part 2

- - -

Wes realized he must have fallen asleep at some point. It was morning, sunlight filtering through the window shades, the faint sound of birds chirping. Freak thunderstorms and other realities seemed very far away. For a few minutes he contented himself with relaxing, stretching, letting his mind wander without focus, before letting the troubles of the day intrude. 

A glance showed Eric's bed empty, with the sheets tucked in and the blankets neatly pulled up. It must be late. Wes sat up and swung his feet to the floor, trying to remember where the bathroom was. He needed a shower... Clothes... he spotted his uniform on a chair, neatly folded, looking and smelling clean. Tommy had been busy. 

Twenty minutes later Wes padded into the kitchen in search of his partner and their host. And coffee. A fresh pot was sitting in the small coffeemaker on a countertop, along with a note instructing him that breakfast would be served when he was up, and to help himself to whatever he found in the meantime. After a quick search, Wes was pouring a glass of orange juice. No sign of life as he drained it, though - until he heard voices, and a thud, coming from outside. He took the coffee cup and found a door that opened from the kitchen into a spacious backyard surrounded by forest. 

Both Eric and Tommy were there - Eric in his uniform t-shirt and pants, Tommy in sweats - on a practice mat that had been laid on the ground, circling each other cautiously, both in a crouch, eyes fixed on each other. Wes grinned and leaned against the doorframe to watch the sparring match. Tommy must be good, or Eric would have had him flat on his back in seconds. 

Eric attacked, snapping a kick at Tommy's knee, pivoting to the side to kick higher when it missed, then smoothly shifting to the other leg with a quick half turn and trying the same moves with the other leg. Tommy dodged the first three, and blocked the last kick with a quick duck and a sweep of his arm. Shifting his weight, he kicked out in return, almost exactly mirroring Eric's movements. Both men paused for a second, grinning. 

"Hi, you must be Wes." The voice came from behind him, inside the kitchen. Wes turned his head to see a woman smiling at him, about his age, brown-haired, her eyes lively with curiosity. 

"Yeah, that's me. Hi." 

"I'm Hayley." She came closer and extended a hand for him to shake. 

"Right, Tommy said you'd be coming over." 

"Yes..." She looked past him. "Is that Eric?" 

"Yep. Early morning warm-up, I guess." 

"He must be good, or Tommy would have flattened him by now." 

Wes laughed. "Just what I was thinking, in reverse." He turned to watch again. 

It still seemed to be a draw. They were closing again as Wes looked, Tommy swinging a punch at Eric's face, which he ducked, then dropping to one hand and knee to sweep a leg at his ankles. Eric not only jumped to avoid the attack, from a standing start he somersaulted over Tommy, whirled, and found the other man already on his feet and facing him. Tommy dodged a high kick, blocked Eric's leg in midair and shoved upwards, trying to throw him onto his back. Eric arched his body and carried the motion through, hit the mat with his hands, and bounced back to his feet and up. Tommy was ready, he was turned to the side, one foot in a kick that he pulled short of hitting the arm Eric threw up to block. 

"Nice moves," Tommy said, lowering his leg and stepping back. 

"You too." Eric glanced at the doorway, moved back a step himself, and nodded. "Thanks for the workout." 

"Anytime." They both started for the house. Tommy raised a hand to wave and called, "Hayley!" 

"Good morning!" 

"Had breakfast?" 

"Not yet." She eyed both Wes and Eric. "Tommy briefed me on your situation. Let's get that breakfast together and then we can go downstairs and I'll try to figure out what I can do for you." 

- - -

"Well? Anything yet?" Eric sounded impatient. 

Couldn't blame him, they had been here for hours now, watching Hayley and Tommy wave various instruments at them, then stare at incomprehensible readouts. Wes was tired of it himself, starting to get hungry again, feeling just as impatient as his partner but unwilling to show it. Tommy and Hayley were doing their best, after all, he could see it in their faces. And he could see it wasn't going well. 

It certainly was an impressive setup, he had to admit that. Tommy had a surprisingly large laboratory hidden under his house, filled with an odd assortment of electronic equipment, instrumentation, and a collection of dinosaur fossils. This was where he and Hayley worked on the various weapons and vehicles their Ranger team used, some of which were pretty amazing. He stole another glance at the red, blue, and yellow Raptorcycles standing in a row against one wall; so much like the Vectorcycles that he felt a momentary wave of nostalgia. 

"Sorry, Eric," Hayley said, turning her chair to face them. "I've been able to detect some strange vibrational energy in your bodies, but I'm not sure what it means." 

"It might be because you're from another dimension," Tommy said. "Maybe it's an aftereffect of whatever brought you here." 

"Can it help us get home?" 

Tommy and Hayley exchanged an unhappy glance. "No," she said after a pause. "I don't know of any way to return you to your own reality. I don't even know where to start. This really isn't my field, and there's no valid research that I've heard of. But I'll keep trying." 

"That could take a long time," Wes muttered. Hayley nodded mutely. 

"So the thunderstorm is probably the only way out of here for us," Eric said. 

"But it might just take us somewhere else again. Maybe somewhere worse." 

"Could be. But what's the alternative? Stay here, probably for years? Maybe for the rest of our lives?" Eric shook his head. "I have too many things to get back to." 

"You think I don't?" Wes sighed. "Anyway, if the storm comes again, it may not give us a choice." 

"You're welcome to stay here as long as you need to," Tommy said. 

"Thanks, but I hope it won't be long." 

"Tommy..." Hayley interrupted softly. "Looks like we've got trouble." 

"Oh, great," he sighed. "Figures. What's up?" 

She pointed at a monitor screen, showing a view of a grassy lawn. "It's the park behind the high school again. Zeltrax." As they moved closer to look, they could see the black leather and metal armored man from yesterday, firing an energy blast at a tree for no apparent reason. 

Tommy's lips thinned. "I'm the one he's after." 

"I'll call the kids." 

"Tell them to stand by. I'm going to settle this once and for all." He took a few steps back, away from them, and raised his left arm. In a sparkle of light, a metal band around his wrist transformed into what could only be a morpher. He lifted his other hand, a large key now in it, and with his arms out straight clicked the key into the morpher and shouted, "Dino Thunder, power up!" 

"A _key_ now? And what is it with the yelling?" Eric muttered, low enough that only Wes could hear. 

A moment later Tommy was in the sleek black and gold suit they had seen the day before. He turned and headed past the Raptorcycles for a black all-terrain vehicle parked behind them, looking almost like a motorcycle with four wheels. In another second he was mounted and starting it up. 

"Wait, we'll go with you!" Wes called. 

"No." The black and gold helmet seemed to convey a frown, and his voice was curt and angry. "This is _my_ problem, and I'll handle it." Without another word, he wheeled the car around. 

"What's wrong with him?" Eric asked as the sound of the engine faded. 

"He and Zeltrax have a history," Hayley said with a slight shake of her head. "They used to be friends." 

"Tommy used to be friends with that - thing?" 

"He wasn't always a thing. He was once human, and a friend of Tommy's. They were both up for the same job. Tommy got it. Terrance Smith - Smitty - took another job, and that's where he was injured in an accident, changed into what he is now. He still blames Tommy." 

"And Tommy's taking it pretty hard," Wes added. 

"Yes, he is." 

"Look!" Eric was staring at the monitor. 

Tommy was already at the school. On the screen they could see the confrontation; he and Zeltrax faced each other, both faces hidden by helmets but their body language angry and aggressive. As they all stopped to watch, the two former friends began to circle each other slowly. 

_"No one here this time to protect you, Oliver?"_ Zeltrax growled. _"None of your children, or your two new friends? I'm surprised you have the courage to face me alone." _

"And I'm surprised you have the courage to face me one on one, without a mob of Tyrannodrones, or one of your usual monsters." 

"I told you I would have my revenge." 

"I'm tired of this, Smitty. You have no reason to hate me, but if you want a fight, you've got it!" 

"Smitty is dead, as you should know. You killed him!" 

"I had nothing to do with your accident! You can't blame me for that!" 

"And when you almost destroyed me, only weeks ago?" 

"That was self-defense! You were trying to destroy me, and the city with me!" 

"I failed then, but not now!" 

Zeltrax attacked, leaping through the air with gravity-defying strength and speed, hitting Tommy in the chest with a kick so powerful they could see sparks fly. The black Ranger fell, but was up again almost instantly, summoning a sword. He swung it, forcing Zeltrax back, and then swept it in a circle, leaving a trail of energy in the air which formed a sphere. It spun forward, striking Zeltrax explosively. 

"Swords... Why don't you just blast him?" Eric muttered. 

But no one answered as a horde of back-suited forms appeared and converged on the combatants, encircling Tommy in clear preparation for attack. They were human-like, but clearly not human, covered in a scaly armor and with large, reptilian heads. Oddly, they reminded Wes of the cyclobots. 

"Tyrannodrones!" Hayley exclaimed. "And where they are, there must be..." 

"There!" Wes pointed. It was their old friends from the day before again, both the woman and the evil white Ranger, standing a little distance away and watching, Elsa with a sneer on her face. 

"I'm alerting the rest of the team," Hayley said. "Tommy needs help. But it may be hard for them to get away and change." Her eyes lifted to them. 

"Right... Eric?" Wes caught his partner's gaze, realizing he had no quick way there without the Eagle. 

But there was no reluctance this time. In answer Eric simply stepped back, raised his arm, and said, "Quantum Power!" 

- - -

It was almost exactly like the day before, except for a different setting, and the presence of dozens of reptilian creatures. Wes and Eric flew over, swooping low, jumping together to hit the ground fighting. Again Wes was reminded of countless battles with cyclobots as he found himself in the middle of an attacking mob, inhuman faces surrounding him, inhuman, predatory hands and feet striking him. On an individual basis they were easy to overcome, but there were so many... 

Wes ducked a swinging claw-like sword, hit back, glanced to the side and kicked another one in the gut. As it doubled over he took advantage and rolled over its back, landing on his feet to block a kick aimed for his head. Not far away, Eric was also struggling, leaping into the air to drive a pair of opponents back with a double kick, then, as a Tyrannodrone tried to wrap an arm around his neck, grabbing its wrist and flipping it over his shoulder into a few of its comrades. 

They were holding their own - but what about the main battle? Wes caught a glimpse of Tommy and Zeltrax locked in combat, a burst of energy swallowing them as Zeltrax fired at close range. And there were Elsa and the clone Ranger to worry about, although so far all they had done was watch. 

Shouts announced that help had arrived. The Tyrannodrones backed off, hesitating, and Wes fought his way clear of them, finding Eric at his side as Conner, Kira, Ethan, and Trent ran to meet them. The four teenagers spared them only a quick look, their eyes searching for their mentor, who was struggling back to his feet with Zeltrax already preparing to attack again. 

"We'll handle these guys," Conner said grimly. "Ready?" he asked with a glance at his teammates. 

"Ready!" They all fell into line, with Conner a step in front. 

All four moved together through a quick but complicated-looking maneuver, swinging their arms in front of their bodies to one side and then the other, Trent in the opposite direction of his teammates. In unison Conner, Kira, and Ethan shouted, "Dino Thunder, power up! Hah!" followed an instant later by Trent yelling, "White Ranger, Dino Power!" 

"More song and dance?" Eric commented. 

"Maybe it's good for their morale," Wes said as the Dino Thunder Rangers transformed and charged forward, red and blue driving the remaining Tyrannodrones before them, yellow facing off with Elsa, and white confronting his own double. 

"Goddamn waste of time, if you ask me." 

Wes decided against mentioning that no one had in fact asked him. "Come on, let's help Tommy!" 

But Zeltrax was already weakening, apparently. He fell as Tommy sent another blast at him, and only managed to rise to one knee. Defiant in spite of the pain he seemed to be in, he shouted, "I _will_ destroy you, black Ranger!" 

"It doesn't have to be this way!" 

"We are enemies! To the death!" 

"Mesogog is your enemy, not me! Look at Elsa and Mesogog's white Ranger, watching... they won't help you, they're only waiting to attack the winner! Even if you defeat me, they'll destroy you, or take you back to Mesogog as a prisoner!" 

In reply, Zeltrax stood and threw another bolt of energy. It burst around Tommy, staggering him, but he stayed on his feet. As the blaze of light faded, Wes and Eric stepped between them, shielding Tommy, Wes aiming his chronoblaster, Eric armed with the Quantum Defender. The Tyrannodrones had been reduced by now to a few survivors, already fleeing. Elsa and Kira seemed to be evenly matched, as were the two white Rangers, but Conner and Ethan were now joining those fights. As Wes watched, Elsa gestured with an angry shout, and she and her companion vanished. 

"Give it up, Zeltrax," Tommy said quietly, his voice more sad than victorious. "You can't win against all of us." 

With an odd dignity, the black-armored creature drew himself up, raising his sword in what seemed to be a salute. "I will be back," he said. "And next time... you may not be so lucky." The pillar of light they had seen before surrounded him, seeming to pull him up and dissolve him into nothingness. 

"Man," Conner said. "He sure has it in for you, Dr. O." 

"Yes, he does." Tommy's voice seemed almost defeated now. "He's so obsessed with revenge, he doesn't care if he destroys himself, too." He sighed. "Well, you guys need to get back inside before you're missed." 

Obediently, the four younger Rangers moved back a little and demorphed, and then started back towards the school building. After a few steps Kira turned back. "Will you be okay?" she asked. 

"Sure. Don't worry about me." 

She seemed to hesitate, and then glanced up, wrapping her arms around herself. "Looks like it's going to rain..." 

"Man, those clouds blew up _fast_," Ethan said. 

"Wes..." Eric murmured. 

"It's the same storm. Come after us again." 

"Go on, get inside!" Tommy shouted at his students, watching them long enough to see them run for shelter, and then turning to Wes and Eric. "The storm that brought you here?" he asked. A rising wind stirred the leaves in the trees behind him. 

"Sure looks like it." 

"Maybe it's going to take us home this time!" Eric said, raising his voice as lightning snaked through the thick black clouds that had spread overhead, and thunder rumbled after it. 

"Hope so." 

"I don't know... Maybe you shouldn't risk it!" Tommy said as a gust of wind and rain blew over them. 

"What choice do we have?" 

Tommy reached to grab them by the arms. "You can get under cover, inside the school. Stay here until Hayley can figure out how to get you home safely." 

"No!" Eric exclaimed, pulling away. "That could take years. I'd rather take my chances now." 

"So would I," Wes added, moving closer to his partner. "You'd better get back." 

"I don't know..." Tommy started to back away, stopping and ducking as a crack of deafening noise and brilliant light flared above. Then it was happening, a patch of fog seemed to spring from nowhere, rolling around them and cutting off the light until they were surrounded by grayness and sudden quiet, as if the world around them had disappeared into nothingness... It only lasted a moment, before the fog broke into wisps of mist and disappeared. 

Wes shook his head, momentarily dazed, and felt a hand on his arm. Eric, also still morphed, asked, "You okay?" 

"Yeah, fine." Wes took a better look around, realizing that they were - somewhere else, standing in a small clearing surrounded by forest, with no sign of the school or any other building. Obviously they were not in Reefside anymore, and not back in Silver Hills either. He also realized that they weren't alone. Another figure stood a few feet away, just where he had been seconds ago. 

"Tommy?" Wes said. 

It took the black Ranger a moment to answer, as his head turned to survey their unfamiliar surroundings, but finally he spoke faintly. 

"Oh, _man_..." 

- - -

  
TBC... 


	6. Like Old Times: Part 1

Wes, Eric, Tommy, Jen and all other characters from Power Rangers belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, however I have not and don't expect to make money from this. 

Rated PG-13: language, sexual references in the last section, including slash elements. 

Reviews are always appreciated. 

**Crossroads**

* * *

Like Old Times: Part 1

- - -

"Tommy, I'm sorry. If we'd known this could happen..." 

"Not your fault." But the face Tommy turned to Wes was tense and anxious. 

They had all decided - reluctantly on Eric's part - it was better to demorph until they had a better idea of where they were. Not to mention when. There was nothing but trees, grass, and bushes around them, no sign of a city, a road, anything. 

Eric lowered his arm after a silent conversation with his morpher. "It says it can't determine where we are. Can't find enough points of reference. Also-" he took a deep breath, his eyes widening slightly. "It can't say what time we're in. Or even if we're on Earth anymore. I have a feeling we're seriously lost." 

- - -

It was later... how much later, Wes wasn't sure he wanted to know. With no recognizable landmarks and no sign of any other human beings, they had simply picked a direction and started walking. By some kind of mutual agreement, they hadn't discussed the situation, hadn't talked much beyond the few times when they needed to decide which path to take. 

They were all tired. Wes was grimly determined not to slow them down; Eric's face wore the mulish expression that meant he would sooner die than show weakness, but Tommy looked - bad. He was pale, his face was pinched, and he had hardly said a word. 

"Are you okay?" Wes asked. 

Tommy dragged a hand over his forehead, wiping away a film of sweat. "Just because we're stranded who-knows-where, maybe not even on Earth, with no way to get home... Why shouldn't I be okay?" 

"I guess we're all in the same boat now. But I'm sorry you got involved." 

"Yeah, I know." Tommy sighed. "Don't mean to take it out on you." 

"It's okay, I understand." Wes raised his voice slightly to reach Eric, who was a few steps ahead. "I need a break. Let's stop for a few minutes." 

Without comment, Tommy sank down heavily on a convenient boulder. Wes found a seat next to him. Eric stared around into the forest for a few seconds, and then came closer and lowered himself to sit cross-legged on a pile of fallen leaves. 

"I need to get back," Tommy muttered. "Those kids are up against Mesogog, Elsa, the evil white Ranger, Zeltrax, and whatever monsters they create. They need me." 

"They seemed like they can take care of themselves." 

"But they're just kids. Hayley will do what she can, but..." He shifted his weight uncomfortably. "They wouldn't be Rangers if not for me. I'm responsible for them. And they don't know where I am or what happened to me, they'll waste their time looking for me." 

"Wes is right, they'll be okay," Eric said unexpectedly. "Nothing you can do about it, anyway," he added with a frown. 

"Man, I can't believe this crap..." 

Eric looked up with a half-smile. "Is that the kind of language Rangers use?" 

And to Wes's surprise, Tommy smiled back. "Under the circumstances, I think it's appropriate." 

"So - should we keep going in the same direction?" Wes asked. 

"Maybe we should just look for the nearest shelter and stay put," Eric said. "Try to find food. Wait for the storm to come back. No point in wandering around, and we don't know what we might run into." 

"But there must be a reason we're here, and we're not going to find it by sitting here in the woods." 

"A reason why we're here?" Tommy asked. 

"Wes has the idea that we're supposed to do something in each dimension. Put the wrong things right or some shit like that." 

"Like that TV show?" 

"Well, we got Jen to give the other Wes the red morpher, didn't we?" 

"And what did you do in _my_ dimension?" Tommy asked pointedly. 

"Besides get Tommy into the same mess we're in," Eric muttered. 

"Okay, don't believe me. But I still think I'm right." Wes knew his annoyance wasn't really justified, and was at least in part a product of physical discomfort and mental anxiety. Still, they could at least try to see his side of it... He stood up restlessly and moved a few steps away, only to stop abruptly, head raised. "Do you hear something?" 

"Yeah," Eric answered softly. He was on his feet, too. 

The sound came to them again faintly, the rustle and crunch of dry leaves as something moved, the snap of a twig breaking, the thud of a footfall. And something else, a sound that set Wes's heart leaping with both hope and concern. The unmistakably human sound of whistling. 

- - -

_'There he is...'_ Eric didn't say it aloud, but the sudden tension of his body and the fixed way he stared spoke louder than any words. They had stalked the mystery whistler for the last fifteen minutes, slowly getting closer while trying not to make any noise which might alert him, no easy task in the near-total silence of the forest. Now they crouched behind the cover of a slight rise in the hillside they had been descending. Wes had glimpsed a path winding below them; the person they were following must be going along it. Eric was in the lead, now peering over the edge. 

Impatiently, Wes reached up and tugged on his partner's arm. Eric glanced down at him and Tommy, and raised a hand to hold a finger across his lips. _'I know,'_ Wes mouthed at him. He needed no warning to be quiet - carefully he eased his way up to where he could see. And found out why Eric had been concerned, as the sight he saw very nearly pulled an exclamation of shock from him. 

A few yards downslope from them, a man on a horse was riding past at a leisurely walk, still whistling some unidentifiable tune. But not just any man on a horse... he was wearing a short black tunic over a silvery-gray metallic material that Wes recognized as chain mail, encasing his body from head to metal-gauntleted hands to armor-plated feet. A crested helmet with a movable visor and a plume of feathers swaying from the top hid his face. Even the horse wore metallic shielding, in addition to an elaborate bridle and saddle. Wes gasped wordlessly. A knight. The armor wasn't exactly shining, but it was utterly recognizable. 

As the knight rode away, the three of them stared at each other. Finally Eric turned and led the way back up the hill. It took another five minutes until he apparently thought they were far enough away to talk safely and turned to face them. 

"Incredible..." Tommy muttered. "Just incredible." 

"Unless we've wandered into someone's Renaissance fair or something, we must have gone back in time," Eric said. "Way back." 

"Might be Dark Ages, or Medieval," Tommy said. "We could be hundreds of years in the past - or more - I don't know." 

"How long ago were there knights like that?" Wes asked. 

"I don't know," he repeated. "Hundreds of years. A thousand, maybe." 

"I thought you're a teacher," Eric said. "You're a doctor of something or other, aren't you? How come you don't know?" 

Tommy shot him an exasperated look. "I'm a paleontologist, not a historian. I don't know _everything_." 

"Does it matter?" Wes demanded. "We're a long time in the past. What difference does it make how long?" 

Tommy sighed. "We have to decide whether to contact the people in this time. Might be useful to know when we are. Get a general idea of how they're likely to react." 

"You're right," Eric said grudgingly. "I guess we should follow that guy. He might lead us to whatever they've got for civilization around here." 

- - -

"Where is he?" Wes asked in a barely audible whisper as they crouched behind the clump of bushes they were using for cover. 

Tommy only shrugged, not moving his gaze from the clearing where they had caught up with the knight. Or at least with his horse. It grazed a few yards away, still saddled, the reins dropped to the ground. There was no sign of the man who should be riding it. 

"Maybe he stopped to take a leak," Eric whispered. 

"I don't know. Why would he bother to go into the woods?" 

"Yeah, nobody around to see him except the horse..." 

"Unless he knows he's not alone..." Tommy twisted to look around and behind them, and abruptly froze. 

Amazing that none of them had heard him, was the first thing Wes thought. He was standing maybe twenty feet away, sword drawn and held in a position that was not quite threatening. Of course, from his point of view three unarmored and apparently weaponless men wouldn't seem very menacing. 

"Who are you? Why have you been following me?" he asked, his voice slightly muffled by the helmet covering his face but sounding more curious than hostile. 

"We're - uh..." Tommy stammered, "We're travelers. From a distant land." 

"With such strange clothing, it must be a_ very_ distant land." He took a step forward. "You seem familiar. Have we met, sir?" 

"I don't think that's possible." Tommy stood and stepped away from the bushes that had partially concealed him from the knight, with Wes and Eric following cautiously. 

"What...?" The knight stiffened, his sword lowering to the ground. "My lord? What are you doing here? What's happened to your hair? And who are _they_?" 

Tommy glanced back. Wes knew his face must show his confusion, and Eric shrugged slightly. "I think you've mistaken me for someone else," he said. "I've never been in this part of the world before." 

The man took another couple of steps closer and hesitated, staring from behind his visor. "Perhaps - perhaps... Yes, there are differences, and yet..." He lifted the sword again slightly. "I will escort you to court. The king and queen must see this, if you truly are not... They will know what to do." 

"Might as well," Eric said softly. 

"Yeah," Wes said. "We wanted civilization, and it looks like we're going to get it." 

"Okay." Tommy turned back to their new acquaintance. "Lead the way." 

- - -

They saw it when they came out of the woods an hour later, spread out below under the late afternoon sun as they looked down a gentle, grassy slope which leveled off before the town began. The most noticeable feature at first glance was the high stone wall enclosing a cluster of buildings. Around it, narrow streets wound between a scattering of other, smaller buildings. The structures inside the wall were mostly built of stone, those outside mostly of wood. A large gate stood open, guards at either side, occasionally nodding or talking to the people who walked through. They were wearing armor very much like that of the black knight, as Wes had come to think of him. Most of the other men they saw were wearing some sort of tunic over soft leggings, some of the better-dressed ones with cloaks. The women wore long, full dresses and most had cloth headpieces covering their hair. 

"What is this place?" Tommy asked as they stopped to stare. 

"You don't know?" The knight, seated on his horse behind them, sounded genuinely puzzled. "Whatever distant land you're from, you must have heard of Camelot." In the stunned silence that followed he turned the horse's head and started for the town. 

"_Camelot?_" Eric hissed in an outraged tone. "We're in friggin' _Camelot_?" 

"Oh, my God," Wes said, feeling numb. "Camelot - King Arthur - oh my God." 

"There probably was no historical King Arthur," Tommy said. "But - this just isn't right." 

"None of this is right!" Eric went on, his voice rising. "Now we're stuck who knows how far in the past-" 

"Shhh, he'll hear you," Wes said. 

"Who cares? Maybe I'm just having a nightmare, and he's a figment of my imagination!" 

"This can't be Camelot," Tommy said. 

"Hey, it's got knights and a stone castle. Sir what's-his-name says it's Camelot." 

"But there's one thing that doesn't fit. English." 

"Huh? ... Oh." 

"You're right," Wes said. "Camelot was like a thousand years ago. They didn't speak English then. Did they?" 

"Certainly not modern American English. Either we're in some dimension where history happened a lot differently, or-" 

"Or we're nuts," Eric finished. "Or maybe all of _them_ are." 

They fell silent as they entered the town, and followed the black knight down what appeared to be a main road leading towards the gated wall. At first Wes thought the stares and whispers they were attracting were because of their clothes - until he realized the townspeople were all looking at Tommy. After enduring several blocks of shocked attention, Tommy bent his head, hiding his face as best he could and avoiding their curious eyes. 

But there was no way to avoid the two guards as they approached the gate. The knight slowed to a stop as they reached it, and nodded as the guards straightened, clasped the hilts of their sheathed swords, and bent their heads in what was obviously a salute. 

"Good day, Sir Galahad," one of them called. Wes exchanged a startled look with his companions. 

"Good day to you." 

"Who are these strangers? What is their business here?" The man stopped as he caught sight of Tommy, who again turned his face away. "Is that..." 

"Only a passing resemblance. These men are with me, and are unarmed. I wish them to see the king." 

"The king..." 

The other guard took over as the first one stared at Tommy, looking completely bewildered. "The king must be inside; he hasn't left the castle today. I'm sure he'll want to see _this_. Proceed, Sir Galahad." 

"Thank you." 

They proceeded, walking inside the wall into a town within the town, the buildings bigger and more solid but the same bustle of people, and the same startled looks. The knight led them through several twists and turns on cobblestone streets, headed inwards towards the largest and most impressive object in sight: what certainly looked like a small castle, complete with round, turreted towers, narrow windows, and a drawbridge, currently lowered. 

"Jesus," Eric muttered. "Sir Galahad. Figures. And I guess the king they were talking about is Arthur." 

"But - King Arthur and Sir Galahad, Guinevere, Lancelot, the whole bunch of them didn't really exist - possibly based on historical figures, but mostly fictional - at least I thought so..." Tommy said. 

"Does _he_ look fictional to you?" Eric waved a hand at their knightly escort. 

"We're in some other dimension, remember," Wes said, "I guess a dimension in which Arthur did exist, along with all the knights and so on. But we can't count on what we've heard in the legends being true here." 

"No," Tommy said. After a moment he added, "I must look like someone here. Galahad said so, and everyone keeps staring." 

"Your other self in this dimension, maybe." 

"But if we're in the past, how could that be?" 

"How can _any_ of this be?" Eric growled. "No point in wondering until we find out what's going on here." 

Immediately outside the drawbridge, Galahad dismounted and handed the horse's reins to a boy who had run up to take them. On foot now, he started into the building, stopping briefly to speak to another couple of guards who were too disciplined to stare openly, one of whom took off into the interior at a trot. 

There was evidence of wealth here, huge tapestries hung on the walls, portraying scenes of battles or the crowned figures of ancient kings and queens. The narrow stone frames of glassless windows gave them glimpses of a courtyard filled with graceful trees and a flower garden. The clothes here were rich, too, the men in longer versions of the tunics they had already seen, over either chain mail or fitted woven leggings and under loose full-length coats or cloaks. The women were colorful in long gowns with full skirts, with robes draped around them but left open down the front, their headdresses elaborate and often jeweled. The expressions of surprise were the same, though, as soon as they caught sight of Tommy. 

Finally Galahad stopped to exchange a few words with the guards outside a heavy double door. They looked Wes, Eric, and Tommy up and down, and finally nodded and stepped aside. Galahad pulled the doors open and turned to speak to them. 

"Come. The king is being notified, but the queen is here." He raised his hands and lifted his helmet up and off, tucking it under one arm, revealing the face of a good-looking black man, younger than Wes had expected, no more than twenty years old.

"_Zack?!_" Tommy was staring as if paralyzed, his eyes wide and round. 

"I don't know any Zack. Come along, we're keeping the queen waiting." Galahad about-faced and strode inside the room, back straight. 

"Zack? It's - it's Zack!" Tommy's voice shook. 

"Be quiet and come on..." Eric took his arm and pulled. Wes took the other arm. They started after Galahad, or Zack, or whoever he was. 

Inside was a room even more elaborately decorated than the corridors had been, velvet curtains hung over the walls, an immense oriental-looking carpet, a scattering of delicate furniture. And the two items that were meant to be the centerpieces, situated where they would catch the eye, at the center of the far wall. Two thrones, large and blocky, carved of some dark, gleaming wood, draped and cushioned with silk. In one of them a woman sat. Galahad-Zack stopped several feet in front of her and bowed deeply. Straightening again, he spoke. 

"My queen, these are the men I sent you word of. I thought you and the king would be interested to see them." 

"Indeed I am, Galahad. How curious." She leaned forward, her eyes bright. She was a small woman, also young, very pretty, brown hair under a thin gold circlet on her otherwise bare head, wearing a rose pink gown under a darker robe. Her lively face broke into a smile as she asked, "What are your names, strangers? Where did you come from, and what is your purpose here?" 

Tommy had been staring at the knight, seeming stunned, but at the sound of her voice he looked up. If possible, his eyes got even rounder. "_Kim?_" he squeaked. 

"My name is Guinevere," she said, still smiling as he continued to stare, his mouth now dropping open. 

"Kim! What are you doing here? What's going on?" 

Her gaze moved to Wes and Eric. "Is your friend touched in the head?" 

"Another dimension, remember?" Wes hissed softly. "She must be another version of Kim." Whoever _she_ was. 

"Right. Right. I'm sorry, your - your majesty." Tommy shook off their hands and made a clumsy effort to bow. Wes followed his example and glared at Eric until he did likewise, grumbling under his breath all the way. 

As they faced her again, she smiled even more brightly, her eyes rising to look at something behind them. "My lord Arthur!" she exclaimed. "You must see this, the resemblance is amazing!" 

"What now..." Eric muttered as they all swung around. 

"What - oh my God..." Tommy gasped. Wes grabbed his arm again, just in case. 

Standing in the doorway was - Tommy. His hair shoulder-length, his face ten years younger. Dressed in a long, belted moss-green tunic over chain mail, his expression just as shocked as all of theirs. But without a doubt, it was Tommy. 

- - -

  
TBC... 


	7. Like Old Times: Part 2

Wes, Eric, Tommy, Jen and all other characters from Power Rangers belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, however I have not and don't expect to make money from this. 

Rated PG-13: language, sexual references in the last section, including slash elements. 

**A/N:** For those not familiar with my 'Year of Time' series, it's a science-fiction AU of Time Force. In it, there are no other Ranger teams, therefore the teamups with Lightspeed and Wild Force and 'Forever Red' never happened. 

Reviews are always appreciated. 

**Crossroads**

* * *

Like Old Times: Part 2

- - -

"What sorcery is this?" After his initial reaction of shock, Arthur-Tommy seemed to be wavering between curiosity and suspicion, with curiosity winning out for the moment. He came closer, looking intently at Tommy's face and circling him slowly, then standing back to scan him up and down. "If you did not look older than I am, I would suspect that we are twins. Perhaps we're related? Who are your parents?" 

"I'm - I'm adopted... My birth parents are - I'm sure they were never anywhere near here..." Tommy seemed to collect himself with an effort. "No, we're not related. Not in that way." 

"Curious." This time he examined Tommy's clothing, reaching to rub a fold of material between his fingers, and then looking Wes and Eric over as well. "I've never seen this manner of dress before. What are you called?" 

"I'm Tommy Oliver. This is Wes Collins and Eric Myers." 

"Where are you from, Tommy Oliver?" 

"A distant land. Very distant." 

"Yet you speak our language." That hint of suspicion was back. 

"I learned it from a traveler, when I was very young." 

"I see." He stopped in front of Eric, looking at his eyes. "I can see something of _your_ origins in your face. We've seen many travelers here, from many lands. Sir Galahad's ancestors came from afar. Yours, I believe, are from the distant east." 

"My father's ancestors, yes." 

"You look somewhat like the lady Nimue." 

"Sorry, never heard of her." 

"Of course." Arthur's voice became softer, but with an undercurrent that set off alarms in the back of Wes's mind. "And of course you've never heard of Vivienne either." 

Eric was giving him his best blank look. "That's right, I haven't." 

Arthur eyed them all thoughtfully for a few moments before asking in that same soft tone, "What is your purpose in coming here from your unnamed distant land?" 

"Just - seeing the world," Wes answered with a shrug. 

Arthur gave him a searching look before a step brought them face to face. "You must have been traveling in these parts for some time. Surely you've met many people. People such as Morgan Le Fay?" 

Wes hesitated for just an instant as he recognized the name, and saw Arthur's eyes narrow. "No. Don't know her." 

The king stepped back and smiled thinly. "There are many dangers on the roads, especially for those in a strange land." 

"We can take care of ourselves." 

"We would not want visitors to Camelot to come to any harm." 

"Perhaps they should remain with us for a while, my lord," Guinevere said, the calculating look in her eyes contradicting the brightness of her tone. 

"An excellent idea, my love." 

"Sorry, but we don't plan to stay," Tommy said. 

"I must insist. For your own protection, of course." Arthur's hand inched closer to the hilt of his sword. 

Wes looked around. Galahad also was unobtrusively ready to draw his weapon. Tommy looked shaken, but he nodded. Eric only raised an ironic brow. 

"If you put it that way, we're honored," he said. 

- - -

As prisons went, it was very comfortable. Wes gazed out the window in the stone wall - too narrow for any of them to squeeze through - over the small city spread out below. Then he turned to look around the room again. It was large and hung with tapestries, furnished with couches, a grouping of chairs, and a long table with benches along the sides. Three sleeping alcoves with surprisingly soft beds opened off the main space. Another door led into a bathroom with surprisingly modern plumbing, deepening their suspicions about what time period they were actually in. Several rugs softened the stone floor. A large platter on the central table had held fruit, bread, and assorted meats, until three young men who had skipped a meal and had a very demanding day had finished with it. 

Very comfortable - but the reinforced door which was the only way out was locked and barred. 

A few steps took him to his companions. Wes sank onto a small cushioned sofa with a sigh. "Looks like we're stuck here for a while," he said. 

"I don't like it," Tommy said. "But I have to admit they're treating us well." 

"So far," Eric said. "But Arthur's suspicious. He's put us in the luxury prison for now, but tomorrow he may decide to throw us in the dungeons. At least he hasn't tried taking our morphers." 

"I hope he doesn't," Wes said. "I really don't want to fight these people." 

"We may have to. I don't think they'd hesitate to kill us." 

Tommy looked uncomfortable. "I don't think Arthur would do something like that. He has no real reason to suspect us of anything." 

"He may not need a reason. It didn't take much for him to lock us up here. If he thinks there's any chance we're a threat, he'll do his best to make sure we never get out." 

"I don't think he's like that." 

"Tommy," Wes said, "He's not you. He's grown up in a completely different world. Just because you wouldn't do something doesn't mean he wouldn't." 

"Maybe. I don't know." Tommy was quiet for a few moments, his face troubled. "I guess you just can't know how people will act." He got to his feet and walked to the window, his back to them. 

"What's eating him?" Eric asked softly. 

"Worried about his team. Homesick. Afraid we'll never get back. Just like we are." 

"Seems like more than that. Maybe it's meeting another version of himself. That must be a shock." 

"I guess. Or - seeing those other people. Guinevere and Galahad. They must be this world's versions of people he knows." 

"Why would that bother him so much?" 

"Well - it shook me up, seeing Trip, Lucas, and Katie again, in that first other dimension. Seeing them the way they were three years ago, just the way I remember, like seeing a ghost, sort of. And I knew it was them, but not really them... Maybe that doesn't make any sense." 

"Yes, it does." Tommy's soft voice interrupted them. He was back, and sat again, hands clasped between his knees, eyes downcast. "That's pretty much the way I feel, I guess. Seeing another version of myself was weird. But Kim and Zack, just like they looked ten years ago... that was harder." 

"Who are they?" 

"My old teammates. The first Power Rangers. Jason, Kim, Billy, Zack, and Trini. I joined later, as the sixth Ranger. We went through a lot together. We were all close friends, and more. But then - first Jason, Zack, and Trini left the team. For a good reason, but..." He hesitated before going on. "Kim and I - we were together. For a while. Until she left too, and found someone else." His eyes filled with an ache that told them it hadn't been an easy end to the relationship. "Now to see her married to him - to me..." 

"Must be rough," Eric said. 

"Yeah. Billy was affected by his powers and had to leave, too. There were others. New Rangers. All of them left eventually too, and were replaced. Adam, Rocky, Aisha, Tanya, Justin. Jason. My best friend. He came back for a while, and left again. We were like brothers, but now... I've only seen him a couple of times since then. And there was Kat, the second pink Ranger, after Kim - took a while for us to get together, but we did, and I really thought things would last with her. Then after we both retired as Rangers she moved away and I got involved in getting my degree, and it ended. I guess I thought all of us would stay friends forever, but somehow it all fell apart..." He trailed into silence as Wes and Eric traded an uncomfortable glance. 

"It's always hard when you lose touch with old friends," Wes said finally. "But you've made new ones since then." 

Tommy gave a short, bitter laugh, hands twisting together. "Yeah. Can't say I've done any better with them either." 

"What do you mean?" 

"Smitty. We were friends. Pretty close, before the accident that turned him into Zeltrax. I don't even know why he blames me, or why he hated me so much. Maybe you're right. You never really know someone. Even yourself." 

"He's not thinking straight, I guess." 

"But he has a reason to hate me now. He trapped me. Was going to destroy me, and take half of Reefside with us... I tried to kill him. Thought I had, but he survived somehow. There was no choice, but..." 

"That's why you're still trying to help him," Eric said quietly. 

"Yeah, I guess. Feel like I owe him something." 

"Maybe you'll still get the chance-" 

Wes stopped mid-sentence as the sound of metal sliding over metal alerted them. The door to their prison room was being unlocked. They all came to their feet as it was swung open by an armored guard. He moved aside, straightening to attention as three people entered, and then stepped out, closing the door behind him. 

They were all young, late teens probably, but with an air of confidence and maturity that seemed beyond their years. In the lead was a dark-haired man about Wes's height, in the usual sleeveless tunic over chain mail, this time in red. He was muscularly built, with a face that might have seemed soft if not for the determination in his brown eyes. Behind him was another man with an equally serious expression, sandy-brown hair, most of his body hidden in a loose deep blue robe. Last was a delicately slim, very pretty Asian woman in a yellow gown trimmed with black embroidery. 

Wes caught Tommy's startled inhalation, and his exclamation of "Jason! Billy... Trini?" 

"Those are not our names," the dark man said sternly. "I am Lancelot. With me are Merlin, the king's wizard and advisor, and his apprentice, Nimue. Arthur sent us to discover the truth from you, and that is what we will do." 

"Good old Jase. You never wasted any time," Tommy said softly. "Figures you'd be Lancelot, the greatest knight in Camelot. And Billy as Merlin, the magician. Trini as his apprentice. It makes a weird kind of sense." 

"I told you, we are not the people you speak of." 

"Never mind, Lancelot," Merlin said, his blue-gray eyes sharp with curiosity. "Let him call us what he wishes. Perhaps to him we _are_ these other people." 

"Yet I sense no madness in him," Nimue said. 

"No, not madness. Something much stranger." 

Merlin came closer, circling all three of them, staring intently into Tommy's face, pausing in front of Eric, smiling just a fraction when he came to Wes. Nimue did not move, but Wes had the feeling of being examined just as thoroughly by her dark and penetrating gaze. Finally, Merlin moved back to stand between his companions. 

"Now," he said, "Tommy Oliver, Eric Myers, Wes Collins. Where are you from? Why are you here?" 

Wes, Eric, and Tommy traded glances silently. After a moment Wes spoke for them. "We're from - far away. Another land." 

"Where exactly?" 

"I don't think you've ever heard of it." 

"We are not as ignorant here as you perhaps suppose. Where?" 

"Uh - California." 

"Odd." Merlin smiled. "Since this _is_ California." 

"You're telling me Camelot is in California?" Eric demanded. 

"Where else would it be?" Lancelot asked, his eyes narrowed with suspicion. 

Sarcastically Eric replied, "I don't know. Maybe England?" 

"Where would you get that idea?" 

"What year is this?" Tommy asked suddenly. 

"What year?" Merlin sounded puzzled. "This is the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-five." 

"1995. That - explains a couple of things." But his glance at Wes and Eric confirmed that it raised more questions than it answered. 

"Why do you not know what time you're in?" 

"We've been traveling for so long, we've lost track..." 

"They're lying," Nimue said flatly. 

"They're - not revealing the entire truth," Merlin corrected. "You think we won't believe you. Or that we will think you insane. We have seen much stranger things, I believe, than anything you could tell us." 

"Speak the truth," Lancelot said coldly, "or it may go hard on you." 

"We've told you all we can," Wes said. 

"Another lie." 

"Now, Nimue, give them a chance. Perhaps they think their weapons will protect them." Merlin smiled again, this time not a reassuring expression. "Those devices on your wrists carry great power. Against most opponents, they would prevail." 

Wes again glanced to his companions, finding Eric and Tommy looking as startled and alarmed as he felt. Almost instinctively, he moved a hand to cover his morpher. 

"I can feel the power that emanates from them," Merlin went on. "I have felt it before. And used it." With a quick gesture, he pulled his robe open, revealing tight leggings under a belted, almost modern-looking shirt. His hands went to the buckle of his belt. A moment later, he had pulled a flat, round object from it and had it in his hand. At a nod, his two companions reached for their own belts, detaching similar devices, and held them out. Freed of the buckles, they looked like metallic frames enclosing what appeared to be large decorative coins etched with the image of a dragon. 

"The coins... those are Power Morphers..." Tommy said, barely above a whisper. 

"You recognize them, don't you? Watch," Merlin said softly. "Our power calls to yours..." He passed a hand over his device. 

Wes caught his breath as the coin began to gleam. A shimmer of light played over it, rising in a glowing haze to meet the magician's hand, then growing brighter. The other two coins had begun to glow also, giving off a softer light. He felt a tingling, and looked down at his wrist, gasping as he saw a misty trail of radiance rise from the center of his morpher as if in response. Murmurs of shock came from Eric and Tommy as a bright spark seemed to float from each of their three morphers, drifting towards Merlin, to merge with identical sparks from his, Nimue's, and Lancelot's devices. With their morphers, he realized, just as Tommy had called them. 

"Now," Merlin said as the light faded, "we can talk." 

- - -

The sun had gone from the sky before they had finished telling their story. Lancelot had paced impatiently for much of it, and looked obviously skeptical, but Merlin and Nimue had listened with only an occasional question. 

"Galahad brought us here, where we were taken to meet Guinevere," Tommy was saying. "When he took off his helmet - and when I saw her - I recognized both of them. I know them in my own world. And then Arthur came in. He's - he's me, the version of me who lives in this dimension. Or I guess, to you I'm another version of him." 

"And you know _our_ counterparts in your reality, too," Nimue said. 

"Yes. We were all friends there. Years ago. We were teammates." He paused. "I guess that's it. We don't know how we got here, and all we want is to go home." 

"Do you expect us to believe this story? Alternate dimensions? Our doubles, living other lives? Arthur, Camelot, all of us, only ancient legends?" Lancelot burst out. 

"Nimue and I believe them," Merlin said mildly. "And we have ways of recognizing the truth." 

"Well, I don't! They're spies, sent by Morgan and Mordred, or that witch, Vivienne!" 

"Do you doubt me, Lancelot?" Merlin didn't raise his voice, but his eyes had turned hard as he locked gazes with the darker man. 

Lancelot returned the stare steadily for a few seconds. Finally he frowned, but nodded. "All right, Merlin. If you and Nimue say they're telling the truth, that's good enough for me." 

"Thank you, my friend." The wizard's face warmed before he turned back to Wes, Eric, and Tommy. "We are all suspicious these days. There has been trouble in Camelot. Trouble and treachery." 

"Tell us what's wrong," Wes said. "Maybe we can help. Maybe that's why we're here." 

"Wes..." Eric sounded pained. "Jeez, don't start that again." 

"But every place we've been, we've helped whatever Ranger team is there! These guys have morphers, they're Rangers too. Aren't you?" 

"We are knights and warriors," Lancelot said. "Whether that is the same as 'Rangers', I do not know." 

"See? There's a reason we've been in each of these realities, something we were supposed to do. We got Jen to give the other Wes his morpher; we saved Tommy. Now we must have been sent here to help Arthur win, and we can't go home until we've done it." 

"Interesting, and somewhat familiar," Nimue commented. "There's a popular troupe of playactors who perform a series of entertainments about a man who leaps into the bodies of various people, in various times in the past." 

"That's right," Lancelot said. "He's supposed to 'put right what once went wrong,' I believe. A silly bit of mindless drivel." 

An odd snorting sound came from Eric, which Wes did his best to ignore. "Hmm. If we could get back on the subject," he said, "Morgan Le Fay. She's Arthur's enemy, right? That's how it is in the legends." 

"Morgan - it's more complicated than that," Merlin said. He sighed, and settled more comfortably into his seat. "We were all childhood friends and companions as we grew up together in the royal court. Nimue and Morgan came from far places to study the magical arts with me; Lancelot and Galahad, along with Arthur, learned the skills necessary for knighthood. Guinevere came to us after she was betrothed to Arthur as a child. Fortunately, they loved each other almost at once." 

"Morgan was your friend?" 

"As close as friends can be. She even adopted the young son of Arthur's sister Morgause, after he was orphaned by an accident. The boy, Mordred, loved her well, as also he loved his uncle." 

"I thought Arthur was Mordred's father," Eric said. Wes had also remembered that less pleasant aspect of the Arthurian legends. 

"When his own sister was the boy's mother? Not in this universe. No, all was peaceful and happy, until... Vivienne came to Camelot." 

"I've heard of Morgan, and Mordred. But not Vivienne." 

"She's a powerful witch. Powerful, ambitious, and as it turned out, heartless and treacherous. Morgan was persuaded to join forces with her in an attempt to destroy Arthur and seize the kingdom for herself." 

"There must be a spell on Morgan," Lancelot muttered, his eyes hooded. "She would never turn on her friends willingly." 

"Yes, she must have fallen victim to a powerful enchantment." Merlin continued after a thoughtful pause. "That was not all. Vivienne also laid a spell upon young Mordred, poisoning his mind against his uncle, and transforming him from a child into an adult overnight. He is an important part of her scheme. With Arthur out of the way, he would become king, under her complete control." 

"Okay," Wes said. "How can we help?" 

"This is not your battle," Lancelot said. 

"As long as we're here, it is." 

"Vivienne is a dangerous enemy. Be sure you are picking your battles wisely." 

"Whatever you say, I'm going to help," Tommy said quietly but very firmly. "Whether or not this is my world, all of you are my friends, in a way. If I have another chance to join you, to fight at your side, I'm taking it." 

"I guess I'm in, too," Eric said. 

"Then that's it, we're all in," Wes confirmed. 

"Very well." Lancelot stood up, followed by Nimue and Merlin. "We thank you. Now it is late. We will give you time to sleep." 

"Wait!" Wes exclaimed. "You haven't told us where Vivienne, Morgan, and Mordred are! Or when they're going to attack next - or how you got your morphers!" 

"Your questions will all be answered." Merlin gave them a faint smile. "In the morning we will take you to meet Myrddin." 

"Who's that?" 

It was Nimue who answered, turning back to them with a lifted brow. "Only someone truly from another world would not know of Myrddin, the greatest wizard who ever existed. Take your rest. You will need it." 

- - -

  
TBC... 


	8. Like Old Times: Part 3

Wes, Eric, Tommy, Jen and all other characters from Power Rangers belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, however I have not and don't expect to make money from this. 

Rated PG-13: language, sexual references in the last section, including slash elements. 

**A/N:** For those not familiar with my 'Year of Time' series, it's a science-fiction AU of Time Force. In it, there are no other Ranger teams, therefore the teamups with Lightspeed and Wild Force and 'Forever Red' never happened. 

Reviews are always appreciated. 

**Crossroads**

* * *

Like Old Times: Part 3

- - -

The sound of the door unlocking came as soon as they had finished breakfast, making Wes wonder if the timing was just a lucky coincidence. As soon as they had all been out of bed, washed up, and starting to think about food, they had discovered another tray on their table - this time with still-hot eggs, ham, bread, and more fruit - yet he would have sworn no one could get into and out of the room unheard. Maybe Merlin deserved his reputation as a magician. 

And it was Merlin himself who entered, with Nimue at his side. He was smiling; she also smiled although her eyes remained distant. "Ah, up and dressed," he exclaimed cheerfully. "Ready to go?" 

"This Myrddin character is supposed to be a great wizard, right?" Eric asked. 

"He's not 'supposed' to be a great wizard, he _is_ one." 

"Then can he help us get home?" 

Merlin's tone softened. "That depends on a good many factors. But it's well within the realm of possibility." 

"Then I'm ready." 

"So am I," Wes said, fighting off a strong but irrational desire to say, _'We're off to see the wizard.'_

"Let's do it." Tommy led the way. 

- - -

Twenty minutes later they were in the middle of nowhere, following a narrow path through the forest that surrounded Camelot. With the city out of sight there was no sign of human habitation, just as when the three of them had first arrived. Not entirely a bad thing, Wes reflected, as he drew a deep breath of pure, fresh, unpolluted air and listened to the notes of a bird trilling somewhere in the treetops. 

"You seem to find me puzzling." Wes looked around at the sound of Merlin's voice, and saw him talking to Eric as they walked side by side a few steps ahead. Wes drew a few steps closer to listen, and saw Tommy do the same. 

"Well - I kind of expected Merlin to be an old guy with a long white beard. You're kind of young to be a famous magician," Eric answered. 

There was a soft laugh. "Yes, I am young. But I was born to this life, and have been trained to it from birth. I am not the first Merlin, but only the latest in a long line, all going by the same name. I am Merlin Emrys, son of Merlin Wylt." 

"What about Myrddin? Is he a relative of yours? The name is similar." 

"He has taught all of us, down through the generations, and my ancestors took a form of his name as our own." 

"He's taught _all_ of you? For how long?" 

"Hundreds of years. Since before there were written records of his existence." Merlin's voice became more serious. "Myrddin is not a man such as you or I. He has spoken on occasion of his birthplace, a land beyond the Earth and before human memory." 

"You're telling me he's an _alien_ or something?" Eric's tone was skeptical. 

But Merlin answered without any trace of irritation. "In a way, although whether he is from another reality - like yourselves - or another planet, I do not know." 

"You know there are other planets?" Tommy asked. 

"Of course. Orbiting other stars, in this and other galaxies." The magician smiled. "As I said once before, we are not as ignorant as you seem to think." 

"Right. I keep forgetting this is 1995, not long in our past." 

"From what you have told us, your world contains a technology based on science, not magic as ours is. We are less advanced in some ways than you. We have never had to develop our scientific knowledge; magic has always been faster and easier, and has filled our needs." 

"From what I've seen, maybe you're better off," Wes said. "No pollution. More of a natural environment. No weapons that can destroy whole cities." 

"We have our problems. And as for weapons..." He sighed. "Magic can create destruction as terrible as any force based on science. We have had vastly destructive wars in our past. I wish to prevent another one from occurring now." 

"Do you think Vivienne will start a war?" 

"She wants power. She will stop at nothing to achieve it. At this moment she wishes to overthrow Arthur, but if she succeeds, other rulers will follow. Eventually she will attack Myrddin, and if she destroys him... someday the entire world may be forced to bow before her. We must not allow that to happen." 

"Wait." Nimue, who was slightly in the lead, stopped and held up her hand. "Someone comes. Be ready." 

Wes saw him as he came into view, moving almost silently, stepping from among the trees into the pathway to face them. It was a man, very young, with long, untidy brown hair and a boyish face. There should have been nothing alarming about him - except for the way his eyes seemed almost to glow with menace, the way his face revealed hard lines of cruelty despite its youthful softness. He wore the usual tight leggings with a fitted jacket, in black with midnight blue edging around the neck and sleeves, accentuating the thinness of his body. 

Wes heard Tommy pull in a shaky breath at the sight. "Another one?" he asked softly. 

"Not Justin... It _can't_ be..." 

"Mordred," Merlin said, taking another step to confront the young man. 

"Merlin. Nimue. How nice to see you again. And I see you've brought company." 

"What do you want?" Nimue asked harshly. 

"Is that any way to greet an old friend? And I used to think you were so sweet." 

"Our anger is not for you, Mordred," Merlin said. "It is for what Vivienne has made of you." 

"She's shown me what power I could have! She's made a man of me!" 

"She has stolen your childhood, made you a man before your time. Not the good man you should have become, but an evil travesty of yourself." 

"Enough pleasantries. I did not come to talk." Mordred's face twisted in a mocking and hateful grin. "I've brought my own companions with me. See how you like them!" 

He swept his arms out, threw his head back, and laughed as the woods around them exploded in a wave of dark figures springing seemingly out of nowhere. They looked almost human at first glance, but were completely covered in some sort of black, slightly shiny surface, their faces blank and featureless. White pentacles were drawn in thin lines on their chests and backs. Wordlessly, they swarmed to the attack. 

"Demon-drones!" Nimue cried. "Lifeless, soulless creatures Vivienne has created as her soldiers. Defend yourselves!" 

Wes started forward with the idea of protecting her as a couple of demons leaped for her, but instantly realized his help was unneeded as she extended her arm and put up a hand. A bolt of energy, like lightning, sprang from her to the demons, dissipating them into a whiff of nasty-smelling black smoke. But there were more; as one reached to grab her from behind, Nimue spun almost too fast to follow, her foot flashing up and around despite the long skirt to connect with its head. 

Wes had no more time to watch; he found himself surrounded by a circle of the creatures, closing in fast. He leaned into a punch at the closest, feeling a shiver of distaste as his fist connected with what felt like cold, rubbery skin. A hard side-kick, a yank and twist to flip one over his shoulder, a jab of the elbow, a solid kick into another's gut, and he drove them back only to see them circle, looking for an opening. 

Eric and Tommy were in the middle of similar struggles, Eric leaping into one of his characteristically acrobatic spin kicks, Tommy ducking under reaching arms to knock his attackers' legs out from under them. Merlin sent a series of energy bolts into the creatures, and then, surprisingly, took a few running steps to brace a hand on a demon back and vault feet first into a group of them. 

They were all putting up a good fight - but there were too many. Wes brought his hands together and pressed the button on his morpher, bracing himself for the flash of light and energy that seemed to fill his body with a burst of power. Morphed, he charged into the demons, summoning his blaster along the way. A shout behind him was followed by the sound of the Quantum Defender, as Eric joined in as the Quantum Ranger. A glance back showed that Tommy had also transformed into his black Ranger form. 

A minute or two of the sizzle of blasters and the impact of fists and boots - and then the fight was over as the few demon-drones who had survived melted back into the shadows of the trees, leaving only a haze of smoke and a lingering smell. And... 

"Mordred!" Merlin cried at the figure who still stood where they had last seen him, arms crossed, smiling despite the defeat of his creatures. "Give up! Come back to us, there is still a chance for you!" 

"No, thanks. I'd rather be on the winning side." His smile grew wider as Wes ran at him, Eric right behind him. Their gloved hands reached - but there was only empty air as the young man faded into nothingness, leaving only an echo of mocking laughter behind. 

"Damn!" Eric exclaimed. "But we still beat him and his drones." 

"This was only a test," Nimue said, her voice tight. "He did not expect us to be defeated." 

"Yes." Merlin straightened his robe and brushed off a few leaves. "You three are an unknown quantity to Vivienne. She wanted to find out what you are capable of. And now you have given her a demonstration." 

Wes was dismayed. "You mean - we shouldn't have morphed?" 

"It was unavoidable. But now - all of you will become her targets as much as we are." 

- - -

"Myrddin's command center. And his home." 

Wes paused to look curiously as Merlin led them into it, a cave whose entrance was hidden in a thick stand of trees. It seemed only filled with natural formations - at first glance, until he noticed the clean, level floor, the way a few stalagmites blended into each other to form a table, how a collection of moss-covered boulders looked like seats, how a stream of water in a back corner appeared from a solid wall and drained neatly away through the floor. There was the light, also, a diffuse glow that seemed to come from everywhere. It was quite a lovely place, and filled him with an odd sense of peace. 

"Where is he?" Eric asked after a few moments of looking around. 

"Myrddin is always here. Look." 

Wes followed his gesture, peering at the back wall of the cave. The most noticeable thing there was a large column of limestone which he had only glanced at before. Now - it seemed to change subtly as he watched, the outline softening, becoming slowly translucent. It faded, but not completely, becoming a misty cylinder, with a giant, indistinct, human-looking face gradually taking shape inside. 

"As I told you, Myrddin is not a man such as ourselves," Merlin said softly, "But even he is not immune to the effects of time, or the attacks of his enemies. Over the centuries, his physical body has aged and weakened. Now he can exist only within the protection of this magical enclosure. This is why we Merlins have become his instruments, to do his work in the world." 

The eyes of the face in the column opened, and focused on them. The mouth hardly seemed to move, but a deep and resonant voice filled the cave, coming from nowhere and everywhere. **"Greetings to my students, Merlin and Nimue. And to the visitors you have brought."**

"Uh - hello," Wes said. 

Myrddin's eyes moved again, to Tommy. **"You feel that you recognize me."**

"Yes," Tommy said, his voice slightly unsteady. "In my world, your name is Zordon. I knew you for many years. You created our morphers, created the Power Rangers." 

**"There are many similarities between our realities, as well as many differences. We have much to discuss. But first, you three have many questions. Ask them."**

Wes hesitated, but Eric took his opportunity. "Can you help us get back to our own worlds?" he asked. 

**"I have been studying the matter, Eric Myers. When the time comes, we will make the attempt."**

"Strange forces, very strange forces are in these three..." The new voice startled Wes, coming from behind him. He turned, saw nothing - lowered his gaze, and saw a round face on a spindly body about three feet tall, with too-large hands and feet. The creature - it was definitely not human - had large bright green eyes, a wide mouth with alarmingly sharp teeth, and wore a bright red and blue garment that covered it from shoulders to knees. It was reaching for him. Wes jumped back with an exclamation. 

**"Do not be alarmed, Wes Collins. This is Ambrosius, my assistant. He is harmless."**

"Okay, if you say so." Wes watched as the little creature with the elaborate name scuttled away and busied itself with a pile of what appeared to be rocks. 

Tommy asked the next question. "In my world and the one Eric and Wes come from, King Arthur, Merlin, and all of you are legends from over a thousand years ago. How can it be that you're real here? And living now, only a few years before our own time?" 

**"I do not know, Tommy Oliver. The multiverse holds many mysteries, and infinite possibilities. One of the largest differences between our dimensions is that magic is the predominant force here, playing much of the role science plays in your worlds. This may have led to the very different paths our histories have taken. **

"I have long suspected that some realities may influence others. Your legends may have been based on some sort of communication from our world to yours, passing beyond the barriers of space and time." 

"Are we here for a purpose?" Wes asked. "Were we sent here somehow to make sure you win this fight against Vivienne and Morgan?" 

**"Again, I do not know, Wes Collins. Many things are possible in the infinity of realities. However, it would seem more efficient for a benevolent fate to simply provide more morphers for the many worthy knights already in Camelot, instead of inconveniencing the three of you."**

Wes heard a faint snicker from Eric, and gave him a glare in return. 

"You - Zordon - gave us the morphers in our world," Tommy said. "Is it the same here? Did you create the morphers?" 

**"Yes, from six ancient coins enchanted to grant their holders great power. They are part of what Vivienne desires; they would enhance her magic greatly. The coins were in my possession for many years; now I have given them to their rightful owners so they may have the ability to combat her and her minions."**

"Six. Merlin, Nimue, and Lancelot; and I assume Arthur, Guinevere, and Galahad. That's the way it was in my world, with their counterparts." 

**"You are correct."**

"Rita - who I think is Vivienne here - stole one of the coins in my world. Mine. She turned me against the others by controlling my mind. Has that happened here?" 

**"It has not. I watch over the current holders of the coins; they will not fall to her. However, as you know, she has used her spells upon Mordred and Morgan. Not all has or will happen the same way in both realities. In your world, you triumphed over this 'Rita', did you not?"**

"Yes, eventually. After - a few sacrifices." 

**"Do not assume events will unfold in the same manner here. We are in a desperate struggle, and must fight with all the resources we have. Merlin tells me you wish to help. Is this true?"**

"Yes. If nothing else, I owe it to my old teammates, and Zordon." 

**"And you, Wes Collins and Eric Myers? This is not your world, nor do you know the counterparts of the people involved here."**

"I think it's what we're supposed to do," Wes said. 

"And I guess I might as well go along for the ride," Eric agreed. 

**"Our thanks to all of you, for your courage and your loyalty. Now, we must prepare."**

"What do you want us to do?" 

Wes saw Myrddin's eyes close and realized his face was fading, being hidden from view as the column gradually became more solid, returning to its appearance of a pillar of stone. But the wizard's voice remained strong. **"Return to the castle. Merlin will brief you on what is to come. I will meditate and try to gain knowledge of Vivienne's plans, and Ambrosius will continue to search for a way to return you to your homes, once this is over."**

- - -

Despite its size, their room at the castle - the door now left unlocked - was crowded. Nine people sat or stood inside it, six in the Arthurian clothing Wes was almost getting used to seeing; himself, Eric, and Tommy still in their own clothes. Nine people from three different universes, three different types of morphers, yet all of them were Rangers. 

He looked at each face briefly. Eric of course, his unlikely best friend, so different, and yet the bond between them had become like family. Tommy, who had become a good friend in only a couple of days. Arthur, Tommy's younger double, eerily like him not just in appearance but in manner. Nimue, beautiful and distant, but her eyes warming as she looked at the others. Lancelot, standing at Arthur's elbow, the affection and loyalty between them almost visible. Guinevere, with her bright eyes and quick smile, never far from her husband's side. Galahad, who had found them, wearing his usual cheerful expression. 

And Merlin, who had taken the center of the room and now commanded their attention with a slight cough. "My lord, my lady, if I may beg permission to speak..." 

"Go on, Merlin," Arthur said with a smile. "You know you don't need permission." 

"Myrddin has charged me with the task of informing you of what is to come. He has seen the forces of evil gathering. They will attack tomorrow, he does not know exactly when. We must be ready." 

"Tomorrow?" 

"Yes, my king. It's short notice, but Vivienne has been able to hide her movements effectively. Myrddin saw her intention less than an hour ago." 

"How many?" Lancelot asked, sounding very much the soldier. 

"Vivienne herself, Morgan, and Mordred. But do not be deceived by their small numbers. Vivienne is a formidable opponent, and they will have an army of their creatures." 

"The demon-drones. Yes. They are hardly a problem." 

"Not in a one-on-one battle. But even the strongest of us may fall before hundreds of them. No, we must eliminate the source. Find Vivienne, destroy her if we can." 

"You and Nimue should concentrate on her. Galahad and I will keep the demons away from you as far as we are able." 

"We're in this too," Tommy said. "The three of us can handle the demons. You try to take out Morgan and Mordred without hurting them." 

"An excellent plan, except that you've forgotten someone. I will be at your side," Arthur said, looking at Lancelot. 

"And where all of you go, I go also," Guinevere said. Arthur looked as if he would object - but then he smiled and silently took her hand. 

"But my lord, you and the queen must be protected. It's you she's after. If you fall, we are defeated." 

Arthur dropped a hand to his belt. "Myrddin gave these to us for a reason, Lancelot. He trusted us to use them. We must fight for ourselves, and for our kingdom, and indeed for our world." 

"Then... All of you, rest tonight as best you can. We will need our strength," Merlin said. "And may the power protect us all." 

- - -

  
TBC... 


	9. Like Old Times: Part 4

Wes, Eric, Tommy, Jen and all other characters from Power Rangers belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, however I have not and don't expect to make money from this. 

Rated PG-13: language, sexual references in the last section, including slash elements. 

Reviews are always appreciated. 

**Crossroads**

* * *

Like Old Times: Part 4

- - -

_"Tommy Oliver. That is your name, isn't it?"_

_"What? **Kat?**"_

The startled exclamation had been Tommy. The first voice - a woman, with an accent Wes foggily identified as English - had been what pulled him out of a light doze. 

_"Tommy Oliver." _She said it the way everyone here said their names, as if they were one word. _"We must speak."_

Coldly awake now, Wes quietly folded the covers back and slid out of bed. He padded quickly to the opening of his small sleeping alcove, pressed against the wall, and peered out around the edge of the curtain that separated it from the main room. 

Tommy was there, outlined in the morning sun streaming through the narrow windows, shock and a strangely vulnerable expression fading from his features as he stared at the young woman facing him. "Who are you? How did you get in here?" he demanded. 

Wes looked again at the woman. Young, golden blonde hair, a softly sweet face and very attractive figure in a tight, low-cut white lace gown decorated with pink ribbons. She was beautiful, especially the melting way she was looking at Tommy. When she spoke again, Wes realized her accent was Australian. "You know me, don't you?" she murmured. "Why else do you call me Kat?" 

"You look like her, but you're not her. Who are you?" 

"I could be a friend." 

"You're Morgan Le Fay, aren't you?" 

"That is what I am called." 

"What do you want?" 

"Only to speak with you. You think we are enemies, but it doesn't have to be that way... we could be very good friends indeed..." She raised a hand towards his face. 

Tommy reached for her wrist to stop her, only to blink in surprise as his fingers passed through her arm as if through empty air. He took a step back, eyes wide. 

She laughed. "I am not here in body, Tommy Oliver, only my spirit has come to you." 

"Why?" 

She moved closer to him, her face taking on an unhappy look. "Would you and your friends fight us without hearing our side of the story? Would you judge me - all of us - without a hearing?" 

Wes jumped at a touch on his elbow, and found Eric beside him. He nodded silently to his partner and returned his attention to the two inside the main room. 

"Merlin and Myrddin told me what Vivienne is doing. As long as you're on her side, yes, I'll fight you." 

"You take the word of an ancient, shriveled monster half mad with age and untold years locked in that dismal cave, and of the boy whose mind he has bent? You would take their word over mine?" She leaned into him, bringing their faces close. 

"I believe in Zordon. Myrddin. No matter which world he's in." But Tommy looked shaken. 

"If you are truly like Arthur... you must care for me... just a little... don't you?" She smiled as he stared wordlessly. "We could be together for always, Tommy Oliver. You look so like the king - with you, we would not need Mordred, you could so easily step onto the throne, and no one would ever know..." 

"_What?_" 

"You could be a king, and I would be your queen... I know you want me, don't try to deny it..." 

"No! Not like this!" 

Her voice rose, becoming harsher. "Don't fight me, Tommy Oliver. You cannot resist my power!" 

"Maybe. But _I _can. Stop this, Morgan!" 

Eric had already pushed the curtain aside and both of them had started forward, when the new voice brought them up short. The door leading to the castle corridor stood open and a blue-robed figure, his face flushed with anger, filled the doorway. As they watched, he took a few steps closer. 

"Merlin!" Morgan hissed, her lovely face twisting. 

"Yes, Merlin. Your childhood friend. Your teacher. Your playmate and companion. Whom you have betrayed for that witch!" 

"What Vivienne commands, I must do!" 

"Morgan!" More people had crowded into the doorway now. Wes caught sight of Nimue stepping aside for Arthur, his long hair rumpled, and behind him Lancelot, still pulling a shirt over his chest. Arthur had spoken, and continued, "Morgan. If you feel no loyalty to your friends, what of your king? What of Camelot?" 

"Camelot's rightful ruler is Vivienne." She smiled spitefully. 

"Please, Morgan," Lancelot said, a pleading note in his voice, "Don't do this. Whatever Vivienne has done to you, we understand. We can help you. It's not too late." 

"Don't..." She gulped, eyes widening, for just a moment what seemed to be doubt wavering over her expression. But an instant later it was gone, so quickly Wes wasn't sure of what he had seen, and a wave of fury swept over her face. "Don't pity me, or think I will not destroy you! We will make you all wish you had never opposed us!" Morgan raised her arm, sweeping it up and then out, a bolt of bright energy springing from her fingertips and stabbing towards them. 

"Watch out!" Eric's voice was almost drowned out by the thunder-like noise as he pulled Wes down and behind a chair. When Wes looked again, he saw Morgan swing her arm again in an angry gesture, sending another flash of light at the doorway. But Merlin stood in front of the others, hands out, a barrier in front of him becoming visible as it blocked the attack and dissipated it into harmless sparks. 

"We will destroy you all!" She swung around at Tommy. Wes raised his arm, knowing none of them had time to morph before she could throw another of those bolts - but even as her arm lifted, Tommy blinked out of sight. Morgan hesitated for an instant, and then snarled in frustration, raised both hands above her head, and vanished in a spiral of light. 

Silence followed, until Merlin said, "It's safe now. She is gone, and will not return." 

Tommy reappeared from thin air as Wes and Eric got up. "Forgot about that disappearing trick of yours," Wes said. The others showed no surprise, he noticed. Of course, people appearing and disappearing was probably an everyday event for them. 

"Comes in handy." Tommy turned away, still looking shaken. 

"Are you okay?" 

"Sure." His fists clenched. "I know her, too. In my world, Kat's mind was controlled and she was forced to attack us, by Rita, before she joined the team." He threw a quick look at all of them. "And now the same thing is happening with Morgan. We have to help her, and Justin - I mean Mordred." 

"You have done well, Tommy Oliver." Nimue favored Tommy with a smile. 

"Yes." Merlin was behind her. "Had I suspected she would approach you in this way, I would have taken precautions. I apologize." 

"No harm done, I guess." 

"At least this demonstrates one thing." The others had gathered around Merlin as he spoke. He paused for a moment to face Arthur. "Vivienne believes that Tommy Oliver, Eric Myers, and Wes Collins are a significant threat to her. Enough of a threat so that she risked sending Morgan here in an attempt to seduce one of them to her side. An encouraging sign. However..." His eyes turned back to the three of them. "It also means you will be among her primary targets in battle." 

"We'll all be targets," Eric said. "Don't worry about us." 

Arthur stepped closer. "Then, like Myrddin, I will thank you for your courage and loyalty. Take your breakfast and make whatever preparations you need. Battle will be joined today." 

- - -

"What's the first thing you want to do when you get back?" 

Wes smiled at Tommy's question. He didn't even need to think about it. "Kiss my wife, Jen," he said. 

The morning had passed without any further excitement. They were all tense, finding the waiting so uncomfortable that Wes found himself wishing the attack would come and get it over with. But tension can be kept up only so long. Now, lingering over a late lunch, they were talking about their return home - none of them wanting to mention that there was no guarantee it would ever happen. 

"What about you, Eric?" 

Eric smirked. "Say hello to my girlfriend. But I don't intend to stop with a kiss." 

They all chuckled, but Tommy's expression was distant as the laughter faded. "I don't have a wife or girlfriend to - uh - say hello to, but I'll be glad to get back. Make sure the kids are okay." 

"How about Hayley?" Wes asked. "She seems nice. And you two have a lot in common." 

"Yeah. But - I dunno. Sometimes there's chemistry, and sometimes there isn't. Maybe Hayley and I have just been friends too long for anything else." 

"Guy like you, there must be someone you'd like to hook up with," Eric said. 

"Well, there's Ms. Randall - the school principal. She's pretty - but she's kind of - well, weird. Don't think that would work out." 

"Too bad." 

"Tell me about your wife and your girlfriend." 

"One of my favorite topics..." Wes smiled. "We went through a lot together, with our team and since then - and we were separated for a long time, but it all worked out for the best. Now we still get to work together sometimes. She's a police detective, so we're both in law enforcement. Still can't believe sometimes that we're actually married, but - I guess we were meant to be together... So I know I'll get back..." He trailed off into a suddenly depressed silence. 

Whether Eric wanted to lighten the mood or simply ignored it, Wes was grateful when he said, "You guys both go for the pink Rangers. What's wrong with a regular woman? Gaby's just a normal person and we do pretty well together." 

"When you're a Ranger, that's who you spend all your time with," Tommy said. "I guess it's just natural to date each other." 

"And I bet it didn't hurt that both of them were hot." 

"Kim and Kat are both pretty, I guess." 

"You guess?" Eric grinned. "From what I've seen of Guinevere, I could go for Kim myself, in a different universe." 

"Don't mind Eric," Wes said. "He's just yanking your chain." 

Tommy smiled and started to answer, but stopped, his expression changing. "Do you hear something?" he asked. 

They all heard it. Eric was already on his feet and headed for the windows. They each looked out over the city below, into the narrow streets winding their way past shops, markets, and houses. They were filled with people - but instead of going about their usual business under the afternoon sun, they were running, a wave of them sweeping towards the shelter of the wall surrounding the castle area. And behind them... 

"Demon-drones," Tommy said. "It's started." 

The black, blank-faced creatures were in pursuit, chasing the stragglers as they struggled to keep up with the crowd. As Wes watched, a small group of castle guards fought their way through the fleeing townspeople and spread across the road leading through the gate, weapons at the ready, to face the attackers. 

"Come on!" Eric said. At a run, they headed for the door. 

- - -

The others were there, at the gate. The guards had retreated inside and it had been closed again the tide of demon-creatures, but they could see it rattle as dozens, maybe hundreds of inhuman bodies pressed against it. Without a word, the two groups of Rangers shared a look that spoke of shared purpose and determination, and then moved to stand shoulder to shoulder in a line, facing the enemy outside. 

"Are we ready?" Arthur asked. 

"Yes, my love," Guinevere said. 

"Of course, my king." Lancelot's voice was strong and steady. 

"As always," from Galahad. 

"I am prepared," Nimue confirmed. 

"As am I." Merlin sounded as determined as ever. 

Moving in harmony, the six of them reached into their belts, pulling out the power coins in their holders. Holding them out straight-armed, they stood still for a heartbeat, then with a swift movement took a half-turn, bent their elbows, and brought the coins back to their waists. Wes glanced at Eric, half expecting a mocking remark, only to see him watching intently as they all cried together, 

_"Knights of Power, unite!"_

A spot of light grew above each person, quickly unwinding into ribbons of color, spinning down over their bodies until they were encased in a web of sparkling energy. They brightened like six multicolored cocoons, and burst, shards of light flying outwards and disappearing just as rapidly. And in their place stood the six Arthurian Rangers, their clothing replaced by six suits of gleaming, form-fitting chain mail, heavy gauntlets and boots, visored metallic helmets, and short tunics in each color, decorated with the form of a red winged dragon outlined in black. Arthur wore green, Lancelot red, Guinevere pink, and Galahad black; while Merlin was in blue and Nimue in yellow. 

"Weapons!" Lancelot called. As each one reached out into the air, a weapon appeared in his or her hands. Lancelot lifted a long, silver sword by its elaborate red and black hilt, Merlin a silver and blue lance with a three-pronged head. Galahad received a black and gold double-headed axe which he whirled above his head before holding it ready. Nimue swept two dangerous-looking yellow, silver, and black daggers through the air; Guinevere fitted a pink and white arrow to a short, thick bow of the same colors. Arthur held his arm straight up, a long and heavy silver, green, and black dagger materializing in it, with a line of symbols engraved along the blade. A faint shimmer of energy ran over it as it caught the sun, bringing the thought of Excalibur to Wes's mind. 

"Just like old times," Tommy murmured. To Wes's surprise, he was smiling as he held out his arms, called out, "Dino Thunder, power up!" and morphed into the black Ranger. 

"You ready?" Wes asked with a glance at Eric. 

"I'm always ready. Quantum Power!" A moment and a flash of sparkling light later, the Quantum Ranger was suited up. 

"Then let's do this." Wes felt almost anticlimactic as he pressed the button on his morpher and transformed. 

"Merlin, can you hold these creatures long enough for us to get outside?" Lancelot asked. 

"Of course." 

"Then we go to face our enemy!" Lancelot raised his weapon again. The others did the same as Tommy pulled a staff with a sword-like handle from his own belt. They all moved closer together. "Men, open the gate!" 

With a defiant cry they charged out. Merlin's spell had worked, the demons seemed to be straining against an invisible barrier as the gate swung open. Wes braced himself for impact, but they all passed through as if nothing was there. Then there was no more time for thought as they plunged into a sea of black bodies, hands reaching for him, hard feet kicking; being pulled and pushed and blinded by the press of their numbers. 

He was surrounded, dizzied and overwhelmed, as their fingers clawed at him and their fists pounded on his chest and back and helmet... They kept coming, it was hopeless, too many... Wes's heart thudded in sudden panic, it was just like before, just like that endless mass of cyclobots Ransik had let loose on him three years ago... If Jen, Trip, Lucas, and Katie hadn't come, they would have killed him, he would have died there, all alone... 

But the thought of Jen braced him. He had to get back to her, couldn't let anything stop him. And he wasn't alone this time. Wes concentrated on the creatures around him, smashed a fist into the featureless face before him, and then another, feeling a grim satisfaction as it dissolved into smoke. He grabbed the arm of another one that had climbed on his back and dragged it over his shoulder, swinging it around, toppling all of them within reach. This was too slow... He summoned his blaster and opened fire, sweeping out a circle, keeping an eye out for his teammates. 

An angry shout located Eric, down on the ground but not out, viciously kicking a demon off him. In an instant he had yanked the Quantum Defender out and blasted the creature in midair. He caught another with his boot, knocking it away, did a back-roll and jumped to his feet, elbowing one demon and side-kicking another in almost the same motion. 

Tommy was busy too, he had cleared a small space around himself by swinging his staff. Stopping, he switched to jabbing at them with the end, and quickly disposed of several. Then he spun it into the air, knelt, and slammed it end-first into the ground. The earth around him seemed to ripple, the effort growing stronger as it reached the circle of demons around him, erupting under them in an explosion of dirt and dust. 

And the Knights of Power were doing just as well, Arthur, Lancelot, and Galahad slashing about them with their weapons, literally cutting the demons into pieces, although fortunately they then vanished into smoke. The three of them had stayed near Guinevere, but she appeared not to need protection; she was doing a surprising amount of damage herself by sending arrows through one creature after another. 

Merlin and Nimue had abandoned lance and daggers for the weapon they knew best: magic. They stood back to back, a stream of small, shiny bubbles flowing from Merlin's hands, instantly dissolving any demons they contacted. Nimue was using her lightning strikes, a steady series of bolts flashing from her pointing finger with just as deadly an effect. 

And then it was over - for the moment. Wes staggered to a stop, panting, looking around. The surviving demon-drones were pulling back, retreating to form a line several yards away. He joined Eric and Tommy as the nine Rangers regrouped. 

"Have we defeated them?" Lancelot asked. 

"No," Merlin said. "That was only the first skirmish. Now we face the real enemy." 

"Here they come," Arthur said in a low voice. 

Three figures appeared, stepping through the line of demons, moving slowly closer. Two of them Wes recognized. Mordred, an ugly smirk on his boyish face, his hand on the elaborate hilt of a heavy, curved sword. Morgan, her expression cold and hard, now dressed in a silvery chain mail vest and loose leggings. Between them walked a second woman, Asian, in a long flowing gown with black hair pulled up in an elaborate arrangement, too short and small to seem impressive if not for the chill that sprang from her black eyes. 

"Just as I thought. Rita!" Tommy said, barely above a whisper. 

Arthur stepped forward. "Vivienne." 

"Arthur." Her smile was like ice, her voice harsh and shrill. 

"I offer you a last chance. Release Morgan and Mordred, and leave Camelot in peace." 

"You know there's no chance of that." Vivienne smiled again, even more chillingly. "I will have your life and your kingdom. And the lives of all those who defend you." 

"Then we must do battle." 

"To the death." 

- - -

  
TBC... 


	10. Like Old Times: Part 5

Wes, Eric, Tommy, Jen and all other characters from Power Rangers belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, however I have not and don't expect to make money from this. 

Rated PG-13: language, sexual references in the last section (starting here!), including slash elements. 

Reviews are always appreciated. 

**Crossroads**

* * *

Like Old Times: Part 5

- - -

"We have you outnumbered nine to three, Vivienne," Arthur said. "How can you think you have a chance to defeat us?" 

"Two things." She gave them another vindictive smile. "You have the disadvantage of some lingering affection for my assistants." 

As Arthur's eyes moved to Morgan Le Fay and Mordred, Wes knew it was true. Morgan had been their friend; Mordred was Arthur's nephew. Even Tommy would be reluctant to fight them, since they were the counterparts of his former teammates Kat and Justin. 

"And second?" 

"Why don't you show them, my dear?" She nodded at Morgan. 

The blonde woman did not speak, she only dropped a hand to her waist. With a sly smile she pulled something from her belt, and held out her closed fist. Wes realized what it must be even before her fingers uncurled. 

"A seventh Power Morpher..." Merlin gasped. 

"Yes," Vivienne said. "Seven. One of the most magical of numbers; of course there was a seventh coin. Myrddin thought it destroyed centuries ago, but I knew better. After decades of searching, I uncovered it. The white coin. And now... how fitting that it be used against the others." 

"Morgan! Don't!" Lancelot cried as she straightened her arm. 

Morgan raised her chin, eyes cold, and held her pose for a moment, then stepped into a half-turn and brought the coin back to her waist, calling out, "_Knights of Power, unite!_" with an ironic emphasis on the last word. The spark of light Wes had seen before grew over her head, sending ribbons of energy down to wrap over her. When they burst and disappeared, she stood in the same armor as the other six Knights of Power, her tunic in white. 

"_Destroy Arthur!_" Vivienne screamed. 

The next few minutes happened in a blur. Morgan and Mordred charged at Arthur, Morgan summoning a thick white saber with a carved dragon's head; Guinevere sprang to her husband's side as Lancelot and Galahad stepped in front of both of them. Vivienne gestured with a wild laugh, her hands forming a circle in the air. A translucent bubble like the ones Merlin had used formed in front of her, but much larger. Another wave of her hand, and it streaked at Merlin and Nimue, bursting around them in a shower of explosive sparks, leaving them staggering. He, Eric, and Tommy started forward, only to be cut off by a renewed wave of demon-drones, swarming over them with just as much mindless viciousness as before. 

He couldn't see what happened to the others after that; Wes was too busy fighting off the demons. But there was no time for this... he braced his blaster in both hands, sweeping it in a circle, mowing the faceless creatures down. More replaced them, and he kept going, beginning to wonder if there was any end to them. 

The distinctive sound of the Quantum Defender caught his attention, and he saw Eric doing much the same thing. Then he heard a shout of, "TF Eagle!" For just an instant he wondered if Eric was running away - but then was ashamed of the thought as the Eagle swept down, dipping low to the ground and plowing through a mass of demon-drones, and rose in a fog of black smoke. 

As for Tommy, as Wes glanced in his direction he straightened suddenly, his suit changing, the helmet warping and seeming to come alive for an instant, the golden diamonds lining his arms and legs growing - until they projected out like spikes or horns, reminding Wes of the black Ranger's dinosaur-based powers. With a shout, Tommy plunged into the demons, cutting through them at inhuman speed, destroying them with every movement of arm and leg. 

Under the assault, the demons began to waver, drawing back. Wes caught sight of the main struggle again, Merlin and Nimue in an apparent standoff with Vivienne, but Arthur fighting alone against Morgan and Mordred. The mass of demon-drones had separated him from Lancelot, Guinevere, and Galahad, and were still preventing them from going to their king's rescue. And he needed help; he was down, Morgan pressing the attack, slashing at him with her saber while Mordred circled behind him. 

As they watched in horror, both attacked at once, both weapons striking with a flash of magical energy. Arthur cried out in pain and fell to his hands and knees. In another moment, the familiar warping sparkle of a forced demorph left him back in his ordinary knight's armor. Morgan raised her saber. Mordred raised his sword. 

"Please,_ no!_" Guinevere screamed. 

"Morgan, don't do it!" Lancelot shouted at almost the same moment. 

Perhaps something in the anguished sound of their voices reached her. Morgan hesitated. They could see her fingers shift their grip on the saber hilt. She raised it again, and again stopped. 

"Morgan?" Mordred said, his voice seeming high and almost childish. He had paused also. 

"We... we have to..." she said. 

"Yes, we have to..." He hesitated just a moment longer as Arthur rolled onto his back and stared up, and then raised his sword again. 

"_No!_" It was Morgan this time. She swung her weapon, but above Arthur's helpless body, hitting Mordred's with the loud sound of clashing metal. "Vivienne, we can't do this..." she gasped. 

"I suspected my spell would not be strong enough." The sorceress' voice was, strangely enough, still confident. She turned her back on Merlin and Nimue, who were down and apparently defeated, to Wes's dismay. "And I saved my best magic for last. I have linked myself to the white coin, and it is linked to all the others, as you shall see." She laughed again as she raised her hand, a glow shining from it, a bright thread of light reaching from it to the white Ranger's waist. 

"What are you doing?" Morgan cried. Almost instantly, the light grew and flashed around her, and her Ranger suit was gone. She stumbled, almost falling. But the stream of energy between her and Vivienne remained, and grew. Six branches climbed from it, six trails of brilliance from the morpher on her belt to those on the other six Knights of Power. Arthur only moaned, but the others staggered, fell, and cried out as one by one they flashed with light and demorphed. 

A wild surge of energy seemed to flow into Vivienne, her hair loosening and streaming as if in a current of air, her form beginning to glow. Her laughter grew louder. "All this power!" she shouted. "It's mine now, all of it!" 

"She's drained the power from all seven morphers somehow!" Tommy exclaimed. 

"I need no help to destroy you now!" Vivienne swept an arm around her. The remaining demon-drones quivered and burst into puffs of smoke. She turned to Arthur. "Any last thoughts?" she asked sweetly. 

"Witch!" 

"Compliments will not delay your demise." Vivienne raised a hand almost casually. 

"Not so fast!" Wes shouted. He ran, seeing her raise a disdainful eyebrow as he, Eric, and Tommy stopped in a line between her and Arthur. 

"You think you three can stop me?" 

"We can try," Eric said grimly. 

"Do your worst!" Tommy snarled. 

"Very well." A wave of the hand, and a wall of electricity seemed to fly at them. Wes gasped, almost knocked off his feet, and tried not to show the pain he felt. A groan reminded him of Arthur, and he glanced back to see the king weakly struggling to get up. 

They had protected him so far. But for how much longer? Wes summoned his blaster again and fired at the same time as Eric. Vivienne only smiled as the beams struck her. Tommy had his staff in his hands; he swung it in a circle, seeming to draw the outline of a circle, a glowing orb appearing inside it. Another wave of the staff sent it at Vivienne, but it had no more effect than the blasters, only seeming to make her glow more brightly... 

"Stop! She's absorbing the energy!" Eric shouted. 

"Damn, we're just making her stronger!" Wes said. 

"What can we do?" Tommy asked. 

"Nothing. Nothing but this..." It was Merlin's voice. They all turned to see him back on his feet, Nimue standing beside him. He pulled himself up proudly. 

"Nothing but what?" Vivienne asked mockingly. "There is nothing you can do anymore." 

Merlin didn't bother to answer. He held up a hand. A thin line of light, like the one Vivienne had used, appeared in his palm and reached for her. He frowned as the glow around her body intensified. 

"Fool! You're only giving me more!" 

Merlin staggered as the beam of light grew thicker. Nimue stepped closer and took his hand, then held out her arm and sent her own energy beam feeding into Vivienne. 

"So much power!" the sorceress cried, throwing her head back. "So much! Yours... and through you Myrddin's... I can feel it, so strong, so much..." She spread her arms, raising her head, the glow growing brighter... but then her expression changed, becoming something like pain and fear. "Too much... It's too much, I can't control it... stop it... _Stop it!_" 

But it went on; Merlin had fallen to one knee but the light still flowed from him and Nimue to Vivienne. She screamed, a sound filled with agony, the shape of her body blurring into pure light. It expanded, breaking into a rainbow of color, coming apart, fragments flying away into the air, the ground, the sky, so brilliant that Wes threw up an arm to cover his eyes. 

Merlin sagged, his arm dropped, Nimue slumping to the ground beside him. Wes looked around, blinking. There was no sign of Vivienne. Guinevere and Lancelot had stumbled to Arthur's side. Galahad was bending over Morgan. She was on her knees, hands over her face. A small form was huddled next to her, still dressed in Mordred's now outsized clothing. As Galahad touched his shoulder, he looked up, revealing the tear-streaked face of a little boy. 

- - -

Everyone they passed was smiling and nodding at them, but it was the way they kept stopping to bow or curtsey that got to Wes as they approached the castle banquet hall through a wide corridor bustling with people. Eric too, apparently; as they walked together his expression had become more and more disgusted. 

"Lighten up, Eric. They're just trying to be nice. Thank us for helping." 

"I know. Feels weird." 

"People being nice feels weird to you?" he murmured with a smile, getting only an exasperated grunt in reply. Merlin was waiting for them, leaning against the stone of the wide doorway. Probably knew they were coming, Wes thought. 

"Greetings," the magician said. He looked tired, but his eyes were bright. 

"Yeah, hi," Eric said. 

"Your companion Tommy Oliver is already inside. The festivities will start shortly, but I wished to speak to you first." 

"What is it?" Wes asked. 

"Myrddin and Ambrosius have detected the forces that brought you here. The storm will return at dawn tomorrow. We have prepared the spells that should return you to your proper spheres of existence." 

"That's great!" Wes grinned and turned to Eric, happily punching his shoulder. "We're going home!" 

"Hey, watch it!" But Eric was smiling just as widely. 

"Remember, we must be up with the dawn. But tonight - tonight is for celebration." Merlin gave them another smile and disappeared through the doorway. 

They followed, pausing as they entered the room. It was large, walls hung with the usual tapestries, the dark of night showing through narrow windows. Torches and candles cast a surprising amount of flickering light, making everything look warm and inviting, especially the large table that dominated the room and the curved benches around it, where their new friends were already seated. There was a buzz of conversation and activity, perhaps a dozen other people standing around, servants coming in and out. 

Tommy was at the table, staring across the room with an odd smile on his face. Following his gaze, Wes saw only two young men in their mid or late teens, one appearing Asian and the other Hispanic-looking, flirting with two pretty black women of about the same age. 

"Shit, I don't believe it," Eric muttered. "A _round_ table." 

"Hey, this is Camelot. What did you expect?" 

"Wes Collins! Eric Myers! Come, sit, eat and drink!" The cheerful shout had come from Arthur, seated with Guinevere at his side. Next to her was Lancelot, then Tommy, Morgan with Mordred - a nine-year-old boy again - already asleep leaning into the circle of her arm. Galahad, Merlin, and Nimue completed the group, but there were two empty places waiting. Wes and Eric took them. 

As soon as they were seated, Arthur rose, a gold goblet in hand. "A toast!" he cried. "To our brave visitors, Tommy Oliver, Wes Collins, and Eric Myers!" 

"Why do I always come last?" Eric muttered under his breath. 

"Shhh." 

"I second the toast." Merlin was on his feet also. "Had you three not been there, with morphers unaffected by Vivienne's spell... Had you not protected Arthur from her, delayed her long enough for Nimue and me to recover, and shown us the way to defeat her... The battle would have had a very different ending, and we would not be here tonight." 

"To our visitors," they all chorused. Wes picked up the goblet that sat before him, already filled, and took a tentative sip. It was a sweet, slightly spicy wine, not bad as he began to get used to the taste. 

"I have a toast also." Morgan raised her drink, not getting up, her arm still around Mordred. "To all of you. For not giving up on us, and for forgiving us so easily." 

"It wasn't your fault," Lancelot said. 

"Yes, there is nothing to forgive, Morgan," Arthur agreed. 

"Mordred is only a child, he is blameless. But I am a trained sorceress; I should have fought her spell..." 

"Someday you will be as powerful as Vivienne was, and able to resist such powerful magic," Merlin said. "But that day has not yet come. Even I might have fallen victim to her." 

"I - thank you. All of you." Wes thought he saw a tear sparkle on the blonde woman's cheek. 

"Uh - can I make a toast?" 

"Certainly, Tommy Oliver," Arthur said graciously. 

"Okay." Tommy climbed to his feet. "To my former teammates, your counterparts in my world. They are - as wonderful as all of you, in their own ways. Fighting beside you has been almost like finding my past again, my old friendships... It's been great. Makes me think it's time for me to look some of them up again." He raised his goblet high. "To Kim. Jason. Billy. Zack. Trini. And last but not least, Kat and Justin." 

As they drank again, Arthur grinned and shouted, "Enough toasting! Let's eat!" 

A buzz of conversation rose as an impressive amount of food began to arrive. Wes leaned closer to Eric and said quietly, "Do you admit now that we came here for a purpose? We saved Arthur, and all the rest of them." 

"I dunno. If you're right - which I'm not admitting - why are we still here? Why wait until tomorrow morning to send us home?" 

"That's why." Wes nodded at Tommy, who was laughing at something Lancelot had said, and then leaned past him to grin at Guinevere. "It's giving Tommy a few more hours with his old teammates. Look at him. He's... happy." 

"Yeah, I guess." Eric gave Wes another, more serious look. "I hope you're not thinking about warning any of them." 

"About what?" 

"The rest of the legend. Guinevere cheating on Arthur with Lancelot. Mordred killing Arthur. And I think I remember something about Nimue turning against Merlin and imprisoning him in a cave forever." 

"Yeah. But you know, Mordred did _try_ to kill Arthur. And Myrddin is pretty much imprisoned in a cave forever already. Maybe there are similarities, but things won't happen exactly the same way here. No, there's no point in warning them about something that will probably never happen." 

- - -

It was so silent in the forest at dawn, the crunch of fallen leaves under their feet muted by the dew that glistened in the pale early light. Wes wondered why the birds weren't singing, why the world seemed so hushed, as if it was waiting for something. He shivered in the coolness of a gust of breeze. 

"Here," Merlin said. He had led them out of the castle just as the eastern sky began to lighten, and brought them into the woods. They had all been tired and bleary after the hours of eating and drinking the night before, until Merlin had waved a hand at them and mumbled something. Suddenly Wes had felt as if he'd just had a full and restful night's sleep. _'Better than coffee,'_ Eric had remarked. 

Now they stood in a small clearing, surrounded by trees, breathing the fresh morning air and watching Merlin, eyes closed and lips moving silently as he prepared whatever spell would send them home. Wes was surprised by the keen sensation of regret he felt at leaving this place, these people. Tommy must be feeling it more - but his face was closed and impassive. Like Wes and Eric, he had said his goodbyes the night before. 

"The storm comes..." 

Merlin's quiet voice pulled his attention back to the present. Wes looked up. The wind was rising; clouds had appeared overhead, streaming above the treetops. It was true, the storm had come for them. He felt a moment of fear. Would even Merlin be able to control it enough to make sure they got back where they belonged this time? 

The sound of chanting rose, blending with the thin howl of wind. A few cold drops of water hit Wes's face. There was a bright flash and a crash of thunder. 

Merlin had spread his arms out, still chanting something in some unknown language. The storm seemed to quiet, the wind steadying, the noise muting into the rustle of branches and a sullen rumble of distant thunder. A hush fell. And then... the mist came, tendrils of fog creeping silently down the tree trunks, spreading over the ground, slowly filling the small clearing. It gathered into a cloud several feet in front of them, blurring the outlines of the trees beyond until they were invisible. 

In a clear and commanding voice, Merlin spoke. As if in answer, the mist swirled, thinned, a light beginning to glow from its depths. It seemed to pull back until it framed the lighter area within, and an image began to form there. It grew clearer and brighter, as if a doorway had opened into some other place, becoming real and solid, and recognizable... 

"My lab!" Tommy exclaimed. "The lab under my house!" 

"Tommy Oliver, your road lies there," Merlin said. "Go, quickly. I cannot hold it much longer." 

Tommy flashed them a grin and ran forward. At the edge of that door into another reality, he turned back, reaching out his hand. "Wes, Eric, what can I say?" 

"Been great knowing you, too," Eric said. 

"Best of luck!" Wes called. 

"Merlin, I... thanks!" With that, Tommy whirled and stepped through. They had a glimpse of him in that other place, turning back to look, raising his hand in a wave, before the vision dimmed and faded. 

Wes caught Eric's eyes and smiled as Merlin began his chant again. Home... so soon... He could almost see Jen, almost hear her voice; soon he'd be back in his own house, relaxing in the living room, telling his father and Philips all about their latest adventure... They'd never believe it... 

The cloud of fog had reformed, darker and thicker than before. Merlin's chant rose forcefully. There was another sharp clap of thunder. Then it began again, the mist seemed to form into a frame around a gleaming area, an image began to grow clear, bright, and steady... 

"The beach," Eric said softly. 

The beach, under a morning sun, the skyscrapers of Silver Hills visible in the distance. 

"Yeah!" Wes exclaimed. "There it is! Home!" 

"Go now!" Merlin's voice had a note of strain in it. "The storm fights me, I cannot keep it!" 

"Come on, Wes!" Together they started forward. Eric paused only long enough to shout, "Thanks, Merlin!" before he plunged through. 

Wes stopped to turn, holding up a hand to the magician and calling, "Thanks!" As he faced the doorway again it seemed for a moment to waver, a thin film of fog blowing over it, the bright image of Eric beckoning him from the beach overlaid by something dimmer. Wes leaped in... 

- - -

And found himself in darkness. He felt a moment of complete disorientation, a blinding dizziness, a sensation of falling, and at the same time of weightlessness. Then, after some unmeasured time and without any impact, he had landed... on something... something soft, and comfortable. 

A bed. He was lying in a bed, in a dimly lit room, with only the faint morning light filtering through curtained windows. It was quiet, and peaceful, in sharp contrast to the storm of a moment ago. Wes sat up, trying to clear his head. He looked at the other side of the bed and saw a form lying curled on its side, facing away from him, covers pulled up to show only the top of a dark head on the pillow. 

"Jen...?" he mumbled. "Was I dreaming? It seemed so real..." 

He reached out to touch the figure's shoulder. As it stirred, and then rolled onto its back, he abruptly realized three things. One, this wasn't his bedroom. Two, the body next to him was too big and broad-shouldered to be Jen. And three, as an unexpected but familiar face blinked up at him sleepily... 

"You're up early..." Eric said. As Wes stared at him in blank surprise, he propped himself on an elbow, grinned, and reached. "Let's see exactly how up you are..." 

_"HEY!!"_

- - -

  
TBC... 


	11. Inverse: Part 1

Wes, Eric, Tommy, Jen and all other characters from Power Rangers belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, however I have not and don't expect to make money from this. 

Rated PG-13: language, sexual references in this section, including slash elements. 

**A/N:** This chapter refers to events in my two TF fanfic series (one gen, one slash), in both of which Wes was seriously injured in incidents taking place after the end of the TV show. 

Reviews are always appreciated. 

**Crossroads**

* * *

Inverse: Part 1

- - -

Wes scrambled away, almost falling off the edge of the bed, found his feet and stood up. Belatedly he realized that he was completely naked, not something that would usually bother him in front of Eric, but now... He grabbed for the edge of the blanket, pulling it up to cover himself. 

Eric was watching him with a bemused expression. "Are we playing a game? Virgin schoolboy? Would have been nice to have some warning, but..." With a predatory grin, he rose to his hands and knees and started to stalk over the bed towards Wes. "I'll bite. Literally." 

Wes yanked the blanket loose and clutched it around his waist, backing off, trying not to sound panicky. "What are you doing?" 

"Man, you're good at this." Eric, also naked, stepped off the bed and came after him. "No use trying to run, I'm gonna get ya!" 

"Eric, cut it out!" Wes took another step backwards and bumped into the wall. As he looked around for the door, Eric was on him, pressing against him, trying to kiss him as he turned his face. Wes pushed him off with one hand while not letting go of the blanket with the other. Eric, with another grin, reached down and tried to pull it away, then slipped a hand underneath... 

Acting on reflex, Wes struck out, his fist connecting solidly with Eric's cheek. Eric staggered back, eyes wide and a hand to his face as pure shock and a flash of hurt came and went across his expression, replaced by a hot flush of anger. 

"What the _hell_ is wrong with you?" 

"You _grabbed_ me! What the hell's wrong with _you_?" 

"Have you gone crazy or something? If you want to play that rough you're with the wrong guy!" 

"I don't - I don't understand this! What's going on?" Wes stared around again in confusion. "Where are we? How did we get here? What happened?" 

"Wes..." Now concern had replaced anger in Eric's face. "We're in my house, of course. Are you feeling all right?" 

"No, I'm not all right! I saw the beach... that's where we were supposed to be! Did Merlin make a mistake?" 

"Wes, just calm down." Eric held up his hands, his voice becoming slow and reassuring, as if he was talking to a frightened child. "Everything's okay. You must have been dreaming, but you're here with me now. Why don't you come back to bed?" 

"Dreaming..." And with crushing certainty, Wes realized what must be the truth. "I was supposed to go home, but this - this isn't home... Where _am_ I?" 

"Do you want to go back to your house?" Eric sounded hesitant, and looked worried. "Whatever you want. I'd better drive you. Maybe your father can help." He stepped closer and reached for Wes's arm. 

Wes pulled away from his touch, retreating another step. "Just - just wait a minute," he muttered. Eric's house. Yes, he recognized it now, even though he had only been in the bedroom a couple of times - but it was wrong; this was the way it had looked before Eric had redecorated when Gaby had moved in. It was definitely another alternate reality. 

When Wes looked at Eric again, he had stopped and was standing with an expression of frozen shock, staring. "Your scar..." he said faintly. 

"What?" 

"The scar, from when your ribs were broken." 

"You mean when I was shot?" 

"No - when you were crushed in that warehouse door - it's on the wrong side!" 

"The wrong side?" Wes closed his eyes for a moment, fighting off dizziness. It couldn't be - and yet it was the only explanation. There must be another Wes Collins here - a Wes Collins with a scar on the other side of his chest. And there must be another Eric, too - the Eric who was staring at him now. 

"Oh my God..." Wes pulled the blanket tighter and took a deep breath. "I - I seem to have changed places with the Wes Collins in this reality somehow." 

"What are you talking about?" 

"I'm from another dimension. An alternate universe. We've been bouncing around from one reality to another, and I thought this time we were going to get back home, but it didn't work." 

"Another dimension? You're not making any sense." 

"You said my scar was on the wrong side. How do you explain that? I'm not the Wes you know, I'm from - another reality. Another timeline or something." He went on as Eric stared. "The Eric from my world and I were shifted from our own dimension to another one in a - a freak storm. He was with me... we've been trying to get home... we changed realities again - and suddenly I was here." 

"That's crazy! How could something like that happen?" 

"How should I know? There was a sort of fog - and when it was gone, we were just - somewhere else! This is the fourth time now! I don't know why, or what caused it, but it just happened!" 

"Then - then where's _my_ Wes?" Eric's face had lost color. 

"I don't know. I think my Eric got back okay, but I'm not even sure about that. I can't believe this." 

"_You_ can't believe it? I'm wondering if I'm the one who's dreaming." Eric sat heavily on the side of the bed. 

Wes watched him, reminded that they had both been in that bed only minutes ago - and there was no escaping the implications of that. "Are you - and me, the other me...?" 

"Are we what?" But Eric obviously knew exactly what he was asking; his face had gone hard and blank as he looked up. 

"Are you - you know..." He gestured vaguely at the bed. 

"Gay? Lovers? That's right. And you're not?" 

"No. In my world, I'm married to Jen, and you're living with your girlfriend." 

"I'm straight?" 

"The Eric I know is." Wes blinked, fighting not to show the depth of his disappointment and renewed fear. And the frustration, as he struggled to think of what to do next. He looked at Eric - the _other_ Eric - again, sitting there, still unselfconsciously nude. "Jesus. Put something on, will you?" 

"If that's the way you feel about it." Eric shrugged, his expression becoming coolly indifferent, and reached for a pair of sweatpants lying on the foot of the bed. 

"Can I - is there anything I can wear?" 

"There's your clothes. _His_ clothes." 

Wes saw jeans and a t-shirt draped over a nearby chair. He reached for them, started to turn his back, thought better of it, dropped the blanket over the chair and started to pull on the pants behind its flimsy barrier. 

"Don't worry, I won't look," Eric's voice growled. 

"I just want to get out of here." 

"Fine with me. But I want my own Wes back first!" 

"And believe me; I'd rather be with my own Eric!" They stared at each other tensely. "Is my car here?" Wes demanded. "Do I have a car?" 

"Yes, it's here. But I'm going with you." 

"Don't bother. I'm going to - going to..." Abruptly Wes sagged, hopelessness seeming to crash down on him. He slumped into the chair, hunched in despair. "Damn it, I don't know what I'm going to do. Thought this was all going to be over... and now I'm stuck here, and Eric's gone, and I'm alone, and I don't know what went wrong, or how to fix it, or where to go..." 

A few seconds of silence passed before he felt a touch on his shoulder. It was quickly withdrawn, and he looked up to see Eric's face watching him, the harshness almost gone. "You're not alone," Eric said. "We'll figure something out. Don't worry." 

- - -

"A storm?" Dr. Michael Zaskin's face was both curious and concerned. "There hasn't been any storm like that anywhere near Silver Hills for weeks." 

"It's only in the dimension we leave, then it's gone when we're in the new one. In each place, each reality, it's shown up after a day or two. After-" Wes hesitated, unwilling to mention his theory of there being something they were supposed to do in each dimension. Suddenly it sounded silly. And there seemed to be no way it applied here; in fact he had just messed things up for this Eric and Wes. "Well, after we've been there a while." He took a breath, glancing around. 

They were in his father's office at Bio-Lab: Dr. Zaskin, Wes, Eric, and Wes's father, who was pacing restlessly. The room, and in fact everything he had seen so far, were identical to his own world. 

"I saw the beach outside Silver Hills. My Silver Hills, I'm pretty sure. I think my Eric got there okay. He was just ahead of me, and I stopped to say goodbye, and I could see something happen to the - the doorway or whatever it was. It must have changed somehow, and it brought me here. Very close to my own world. The same time, but not quite the same reality." 

"And it switched you with the Wes who belongs here?" 

"Yeah, I guess. Maybe he's in my reality." _With Jen,_ he couldn't help thinking. Not that he had to worry about that situation, as a glance at Eric's stony face reminded him. 

It had taken a while to convince his father, and then to go over the whole thing again with Dr. Zaskin. Wes was tired, discouraged, hungry but without appetite. He looked up at the three men staring at him, three people he was very close to... and yet they were strangers. He couldn't remember ever feeling so alone. 

"Do you think that storm will come back again?" Collins asked, his voice tight. 

Wes shrugged unhappily. "I don't know. This time feels different somehow. I hope so; it's my only chance of getting home. Unless you have any ideas...?" He looked at Zaskin hopefully. 

"Dimensional gateways are a little out of my scientific experience. I'll talk to my people, but... frankly, I don't think we can help." 

"Then I guess all I can do is wait." 

"Not good enough," Collins said. "I want my own son back." 

"But how?" Eric asked. 

"Well - what about Time Force? Can't they help?" 

"They don't have dimensional travel as far as I know," Wes said. 

"But their science is more advanced than ours. They could at least try. You've got that communicator. Ask them." 

"There's one here, too?" Wes felt his mood brightening now that there was a ray of hope. "Where is it, at the house?" 

"No, here at Bio-Lab, locked up in a secure area," Eric said. 

"Show me the way." 

- - -

They decided only Wes and Eric would contact the future; that was the way they had always done it in the past and both of them knew Time Force preferred to keep it that way. In about fifteen minutes the two of them were alone again, in a small windowless room inside the Silver Guardian headquarters. The chrono-communicator was the same too, and Wes had no trouble helping Eric to set it up and turn it on. 

"When they get the signal they'll forward it to Trip, Lucas, or Katie, if they're on duty," Wes said. 

"Yeah, I know. Done this before." Eric leaned back, arms crossed, staring, his face cool and unrevealing. It was almost the first time he had spoken directly to Wes since the ride from his house to Bio-Lab. 

_'Wes and I are careful in front of other people. We only spend the night together once in a while. Your father knows about us. No one else. I'd appreciate it if you keep it that way,'_ he had said, eyes firmly on the road ahead. Wes had promised of course, the harshness of Eric's profile making him think uneasily about what it would be like to be forced to keep that kind of secret. 

Eric had thanked him. After that, to Wes's dismay, he had begun acting as distant as a stranger, as if the last three years of friendship between them had never happened. Which they hadn't, of course, in this reality. It was disconcerting to remember this wasn't the same man he had known, worked with, and fought alongside. Even more to know this Eric looked at him in a different way, felt about him very differently, and wanted things he could never give. 

"You don't like the idea that another version of you is gay, do you?" The sudden question startled him. 

"It's just kind of strange." 

"Why should it be strange?" 

"It's a natural reaction, isn't it? How do _you_ feel about the Eric in my world being straight?" 

Eric shrugged. "Why should I care? He's not me." 

"He sure isn't," Wes muttered under his breath. With a frown, he returned his attention to the communicator, studiously ignoring Eric as they waited for a response to their signal. After what felt like an unreasonably long time but was only a few more seconds, an image began to form over it, between the twin antennae. It wavered, and steadied, becoming the face of a dark-haired man, his mouth moving into a brief smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. 

"Wes. Eric. Good to see you again." 

"Alex!" Wes smiled uncertainly. It had always felt a little strange to look into the face of his double in the future, plus the fact that this wasn't quite the same Alex he had known. 

"Why are you contacting us?" 

"We've got a problem." 

For the third time that day, Wes told an abbreviated version of his story, expecting doubt and disbelief. A mysterious storm - shifting in and out of dimensions - it sounded incredible even to him, as he said the words. And even if they believed it, would they really be able to help? This felt like his last chance... With a feeling of misgiving, he finished by telling how they had decided to contact Time Force. 

Alex had stared at him silently through the entire speech, his expression not changing from quiet attention. After a few moments of waiting, Wes asked, "Well? Do you believe me at least?" 

"Actually, I do. We have kind of the same situation here." 

"What do you mean?" 

"We have someone from another dimension who's switched places with the person who belongs here. Just like you. Can't be just a coincidence." 

"Really? Do you have a way to switch them back? Can you do the same thing for me?" 

"I don't know if we can do anything for you. Wes, I think you need to talk to someone else. Hold on." 

It took a few minutes. Alex's face disappeared, leaving the image of an empty office. Then it blanked into featureless gray, leaving Wes to stare at it impatiently. Eric was watching him again; he could almost feel those intent dark eyes boring into him, but he refused to look, to acknowledge the tension between them. It increased until he was almost relieved when Eric spoke, despite the faintly mocking tone of his voice. 

"Sorry if I make you nervous." 

"You don't," Wes lied. 

"You won't even look at me." 

Wes glanced at him and turned his eyes away again. "You're doing enough looking for both of us." 

"Don't worry, I don't go for straight guys." 

"Good." 

They fell into uneasy silence again, as Wes found himself wondering just what Eric saw - what he was thinking, whether he was remembering the two of them together, the things they must have done with each other... _It wasn't me,_ he reminded himself, _it was the other Wes, nothing to do with me._ No logical reason to be uncomfortable about it, and yet Eric was right, the situation made him nervous. Of course, part of that was the way Eric was acting, the way he seemed to be almost hostile now. Resenting him for not being the person he wanted, maybe. 

Finally, to his relief the communicator began to flicker, brighten again, and form a new image, one that sent all other thoughts out of his mind. _Should have expected to see her,_ he realized. Still, the sight almost brought tears to his eyes, it was so familiar; that face he had begun to think he might never see again. 

"Jen!" 

"Hello, Wes." 

His first thought was that she looked tired. Tired, but smiling at him, a little tentatively. He almost reached for the screen to trace the line of her cheek, but forced himself to remember that this wasn't _his_ Jen. It was someone else, who had known another Wes - a Wes who hadn't loved her, at least not the same way. "This is kind of weird," he said awkwardly. 

"For both of us. But... we have something in common." 

With sudden insight he realized why she was the one talking to him. "_You're_ the person who's changed dimensions, like me?" he asked. 

"Yes. More than once. Again like you, I'm told. In each one I've changed places with the Jen who belongs there. Each time I've found myself in a different situation, a different life. Seems like every possibility has happened, somewhere..." Her eyes had lost focus. "In this one, my other self is engaged to Alex again." 

Wes hesitated, unsure of what to say, or even how he felt about that. "In my world, we're married," he said finally. "My Jen and me." 

"You and me, married?" Her eyes flickered with some strong emotion, quickly hidden. "How could that be possible?" 

"It's a long story. Basically there were a lot of changes in the timeline, and you - I mean she - came back from an alternate future that ended up being wiped out. She was sort of absorbed into our time." 

"Interesting. I saw the recording of what you told Alex about the other dimensions you've visited. Tell me about yours. Did your Jen work for Time Force? Follow Ransik into your time?" 

"Yes, of course. That's how we met. We defeated Ransik after about a year." 

"What about your version of Alex? What happened to him in your world?" 

"He's okay. He has a new girlfriend now. They came to our wedding." 

"I see." Only a blink revealed her reaction. 

"Jen, what's going on? Do you know what's causing this?" 

"It's our fault." She looked down at her hands. "In my own dimension, Alex led a project researching alternate realities, worlds that spring out of some basic difference: an alteration of a rule of nature, a choice that sent history in a completely different direction. Alternate possibilities, alternate universes, coexisting in parallel. We found a way to detect them, and to travel between them. We began to experiment. I volunteered as a test subject, to exchange places with my other self in several dimensions, just for a day each time. It was the only way we had to collect more information. We didn't realize... well... some of the ways it could go wrong. Like this." 

"You mean Eric and me?" 

"What happened to you must be a side effect, an echo of the transfer effect in your time. The experiment was focused on the different versions of me, so maybe it happened because your Jen is there with you, in 2004. I don't know why it would have shifted both you and Eric before, but this time it seems to have switched you with your double, the way it was designed to do with me." 

She smiled, just a little, but her eyes were anxious. "We're starting to work on a way to reverse the effect on you, if we can. It's also possible that it may correct itself, that the natural forces separating the dimensions will put you back where you belong, sooner or later." 

"But - when?" 

"At this point we just don't know when, or even if. I'm sorry." 

Wes tried not to show disappointment, tried to concentrate on hope. "I'm sure you can do it. Will you let me know what you find out?" 

"If I can. Wes, believe me, if we'd known this could happen we would never have endangered you." 

"I know. It'll be okay." 

"I hope so. Good luck." 

"And to you." Wes had started to reach for the switch when her voice stopped him. 

"Are we... are you and your Jen - happy?" 

"Very. That's why I want to go home so badly." 

She smiled, but there was a sad quality in it. "Infinite possibilities... I'm glad for you both." Before Wes could respond, she had cut off the link, and the image faded to nothingness. 

"So that's it? We just wait, while Wes is stuck in your dimension, and you're stuck here?" Eric was on his feet, eyes alight with frustrated anger. 

But Wes was in no mood to be sympathetic. "Looks that way. Unless you have a better idea." 

"Shit!" A moment later the door slammed behind him, leaving Wes with only his own unpleasant thoughts for company. 

- - -

  
TBC... 


	12. Inverse: Part 2

Wes, Eric, Tommy, Jen and all other characters from Power Rangers belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, however I have not and don't expect to make money from this. 

Rated PG-13: language, sexual references in this last section, including slash elements. 

Reviews are always appreciated. 

**Crossroads**

* * *

Inverse - Part 2

- - -

Wes squinted into the afternoon sun as it glimmered off the ocean waves, and kicked absently at a ridge of sand. It was a nice day, out here on the beach north of Silver Hills. A nice day, but he scanned the clear sky, hoping to see a storm blowing up. 

Wait. That was all he could do. It had only been a day, and it was really getting to him. Couldn't work as commander of the Guardians; this wasn't his Bio-Lab, it wasn't his job, and he didn't want to think about staying long enough to step into it. No Jen, and Eric had been so cold and distant... Even his father - the other Wes's father - was obviously uncomfortable around someone who looked, sounded, and acted exactly like his son, but wasn't. 

Not that he hadn't been sympathetic, and concerned. After a few more hours with the Bio-Lab scientists they had gone back to the house, had dinner, made conversation. Wes had stayed the night, an odd feeling sleeping in that room that was almost, but not quite, his. 

That's the way all of it felt. Not quite right. So similar to his own world, but the cold, hard fact was that there was no place for him here. For the first time since this had started, there was nothing for him to do, no fight to join in on, no one to help. He had no purpose here, no meaning. Instead, he had taken the place of the man who should be here. 

There was hope, of course. Time Force was working on it, in the future. Which brought him back to Jen. Seeing her the day before had only made him miss her more. It was so confusing, different versions of the people who were important to him, especially this time, in this world that was so close to his own - with two vital differences. Jen wasn't here, and never would be. Engaged to Alex again... Strange, the sharp stab of jealousy that knowledge sent through him, even though she wasn't the same person he was married to. And Eric had been transformed from the one person he could count on in this mess into just another problem; someone who only resented him for being here. 

The sound of a car pulling over on the highway above the beach filtered through the murmur of ocean water, the faint calls of sea gulls, and the turmoil of his own thoughts. Wes watched as it parked. A Silver Guardian SUV. He saw the driver get out and turned his back, aware of the soft crunching of footsteps approaching across the sand. 

They stopped, followed by silence, and then, "Hey." 

"Hey." Wes gave him only a glance. Eric was in uniform, but with his headset off and his beret tucked into his belt. 

"Thought you might be out here." 

"Yeah. Got nowhere else in particular to go." 

"How'd you do last night, at the house?" 

"Okay." Wes shrugged. 

"And your father? Wes's father?" 

"We talked a little." 

"I bet he loved the idea of you and Jen being married." Eric's voice was tinged with bitterness. 

"I don't know. He asked a couple of questions." 

"He didn't much like it when he found out about me and Wes." 

"Can't blame him, I guess." 

"Yeah, I guess you wouldn't." Again that hostility was under his voice. 

"What's that supposed to mean?" Wes turned to glare at him. 

"You don't like the idea either, do you? You're just like all of them, you think it's disgusting!" 

"That's not true! And what do you mean, 'all of them'? All of who?" 

"Oh, forget it. You wouldn't understand." Eric turned away, heading back to his car. 

Wes followed, reaching to grab his arm. "Look, okay, I admit this whole thing bothers me. I admit I don't like the thought of you and me - the other me - being together like that. Sorry, but I can't help it. Maybe I haven't had the best attitude, but at least I'm trying! I know you miss him... I know it's my fault he's gone. Believe me, it wasn't my choice, and if I had any way to get out of here I'd be gone and you'd have your own Wes back. So stop taking it out on me!" 

For a moment the face Eric turned to him was furious - but there was something else there too. Suddenly the anger seemed to drain from him, leaving him looking deflated and defeated. He sighed, bent his head, and jammed his fists into his pockets. "Sorry," he muttered. "You're right. I miss him and I'm worried. But it's not your fault." 

"I know." Wes faced back to the ocean, letting the breeze cool the angry flush from his face, aware of Eric returning to stand beside him, feeling depression starting to take the place of his own irritation. "It's weird," he said after a brief silence. "I had this crazy idea that all of this has a purpose. That there was something we were supposed to do in each reality, to make things better, before we could leave. In the first one, we got Jen to give the other Wes his morpher. In the second, we saved Tommy's life. In the last one, we all helped win the fight they were in, and Tommy got to sort of have his old team back for a while." 

"You mean like that show? _Quantum Leap_?" 

"Yeah, I know it's stupid. Eric told me enough times." 

"Hey, anything with Quantum in the title can't be bad." 

Wes smiled a little at that, and then went on. "But here - there's nothing for me to do to make things better. All I've done is - be the wrong person in the wrong place." 

"Don't be so hard on yourself." 

Wes snorted. "_You_ sure don't want me here." 

"Well - no. But it's nothing personal." 

They were quiet for a while after that, but this time it was a silence that felt almost comfortable. Eric bent to pick up a few small stones from the edge of the beach, walked a little closer to the water and threw one, skimming it over the gently rolling surface to bounce a few times. Wes watched him, wondering... He wasn't quite sure if he wanted to hear about it, but it was only human to be curious. And Eric seemed to be in a friendly mood at the moment. 

"If you don't mind my asking...?" 

"Go ahead." 

"How did you and the other Wes - uh..." 

"How did we get together?" He paused to skip another stone. "I always felt that way about him. Had a big crush on him in school. Then, when we were both Rangers - I acted like a total shithead about it, but he didn't seem to hold it against me. Tried to be friends anyway. I tried to convince myself he was just a fool, and that I just had the hots for him, but - well, it was a lot more than that. I really fell for him." Eric was still facing the water, but his voice had softened. "It took him a lot longer. Over a year after Jen and the others left. But finally he figured out who he is and what he wanted. And he wanted me." 

"He and Jen never got together at all?" 

"He thought he was in love with her when she was here, but he wasn't. Not really. Just didn't want to admit to himself that he's gay." 

"Weird. I mean that he and I would be so different." 

"You aren't. Shit, you're exactly alike, except for that one thing. It reminds me of all that time when he was still trying so hard to be straight and I thought we'd never..." Eric turned his head to look at Wes, his face open and vulnerable for once. "Just makes it harder, knowing you're not him. That he might not be coming back." He looked out to the ocean again, shoulders rising and falling in a sigh. 

"You really love him, don't you?" 

"Yeah, I do." When he spoke again, his voice was calmer. "Sorry I walked out like that yesterday." 

"Can't blame you. We were both starting to get on each other's nerves. And you knew Dad - Wes's father - would take care of me." 

"I guess." There was a pause until Eric asked, a little hesitantly, "How long have you been married?" 

"About eight months now. We were separated for so long after they went back to their own time. There were so many times I thought I'd never see her again, times I lost hope and tried to find someone else. But I just couldn't forget her. Then she got to stay, and we lived together, and it was great. We got married, and I thought now we'd be together forever..." He sighed. "Then this happened." 

"You really love her." 

"Yeah." 

"Any kids on the way?" 

Had that been envy in his voice? It struck Wes forcefully that no matter how much Eric and the Wes of this world might love each other, they faced a very different life from his with Jen. No wedding filled with approving relatives, friends, and co-workers for them, no happy plans for children... only hidden encounters, no public displays of affection, a night together now and then, always wondering if people knew or guessed... He forced a smile. "Not yet. Give us a little time." 

"How's she doing? I mean, does she miss her own time?" 

"Sure, she was homesick. I guess she still is. But now she's working with the SHPD as a detective. It's kind of like her job at Time Force, and I think she really likes it." 

"She's a cop? Weird. Who am I going out with?" 

"Huh?" 

"I mean your Eric. Who's his girlfriend? Anyone I know?" As he turned to Wes again, his lips twitched in what might have been a smile. 

"Gaby Butler. She works at Bio-Lab, in computer security." 

Eric looked surprised. "Gabriella Butler? Steve Miller's girl?" 

"She's going with Steve here?" Wes shook his head. "Strange how things worked out in this dimension." 

"Yeah, strange." 

"I thought you didn't care about my Eric being straight." 

"I don't. He's got his way, and I've got mine. Doesn't mean I can't be curious." Eric tossed another stone and watched it skip over a wave. 

Wes bent to find a few of his own and joined him, throwing it as far as he could. It sank like a - well - stone. He sighed, and tried again, with the same result. Eric did it again, his pebble skimming the water like a bird. Wes tried to copy him, with dismal results. 

"You're doing it wrong," Eric said. "Didn't they teach you anything useful at Harvard or whatever fancy place you went?" 

It took a while, maybe half an hour of stone throwing, instructions, miserable failures and partial successes, criticism of Wes's style, joking insults and finally, laughter. They depleted the local supply of rocks and went in search of more, then spent some time surveying the beach for the ideal pebble-throwing position. Finally Wes had the satisfaction of seeing his stone fly across the dark water, skipping into the air in a satisfying series of bounces. He felt absurdly proud as they found a dry, level patch of sand and sat down. 

"Can I ask you something else?" he said. 

"Sure." 

"Did my father really give you a hard time when he found out? What did he say?" 

Eric shot him a half-smile. "What didn't he say? Just for starters, he blamed me for seducing Wes. Then he wanted to send Wes to a shrink, to 'cure' him." 

"Wow. Must have been rough." 

"Yeah. He said he was going to fire me. But..." he sighed. "It worked out in the end, after he had a chance to get used to the idea. He's been pretty good about it since then." 

"Still, it's hard to forget something like that." 

"Yeah. I wonder..." 

"What?" 

"If he doesn't wish you'd stay here. So he'd have a nice straight son who'd get married and have a couple dozen grandchildren for him. Instead of a gay kid who might embarrass him if people find out." 

Wes wrapped his arms around his knees. "I don't think that's the way he feels." He smiled. "He talked about you a little. Said how tough this must be on you. I got the impression he thinks of you like a member of the family, the way he was saying how great it is to see how you guys make each other happy." 

"He said that?" 

"Yeah." 

"Man." Eric smiled, a little sadly. "Well, he's right. We make each other happy... I hate to think of Wes out there somewhere, lost, trying to get back..." 

"Jen'll help him. And my Eric will. He's not exactly stranded in the middle of the desert, after all." 

"I hope so. I hope he's safe in your world. And that he didn't find out what happened the same way I did." Eric raised a hand to his cheek, where a faint bruise showed. 

"Yeah. Sorry about that. I guess it wasn't a very good time to change places with your Wes." 

"Could have been better. Of course, it could have been a lot worse." Eric gave him a sidelong look, brows raised. 

Wes winced. "Oh man, you're right!" They both chuckled. And as if by magic, any lingering awkwardness was somehow gone. 

Wes smiled, blinking as the coolness of a light wind combed through his hair, bringing the smell of the ocean. It felt good, sitting there under the sun with Eric beside him, their conflicts forgotten, looking out over the endless gentle wash of the waves. It came to him that he would always remember this moment for no particular reason except that he felt somehow at peace, somehow right. It seemed so close to his own world and his own life that he could almost reach out, almost open a door and walk through, and Jen and Eric would be waiting on the other side... 

A quiet voice pulled him back. "Maybe you did come here for a reason, after all." 

"Like what? I haven't done anything." 

"Maybe I could use the reminder of how much I like Wes. How much my friendship with him means to me, besides the sex." 

"And how did I do that?" 

"Like I told you, you're exactly like him. You _are_ him. And we could be friends. Just friends." 

"Then I guess I learned something too. Didn't think I could adjust to this situation and be comfortable around you, but - I am. Yeah, we could be friends, easy." 

Eric smiled at him, and then glanced up at the sky. "Getting a little cloudy. It's not supposed to rain today." 

"Rain?" Wes climbed to his feet, heart beginning to pound. Eric was right, clouds were piling up overhead, cutting off the sun with unnatural speed. The wind was picking up, too, sending a chill through him. There was a low, distant rumble of thunder. "It's the storm! It's coming for me!" 

"You mean...?" 

"Yeah! I'm going home... I hope." 

"And my Wes is coming back?" 

"Hope so." 

They waited, watching, as the sky grew darker and a cold gust of rain blew over them. Lightning flashed high above, followed by the crash of thunder. Wes felt dampness on his face, a wetness in the air as the ocean seemed to blur into fog, tendrils of it creeping across the beach, reaching for him. It gathered, muffling the sounds of wind and rain, until there was almost a quiet quality to the air around them, an atmosphere of anticipation... 

The mist and fog deepened until he could see nothing before him but gray, and then it swirled, and parted, showing a dim view of the beach, and three people standing a few yards away. Two men and a woman. He squinted, staring at them, and saw... 

"Jen! Eric..." And the third person - was himself, an eerie sensation, like looking into some strange, indistinct mirror. 

"Go on, Wes." A hand touched his shoulder, briefly squeezing it. 

Wes turned and held out his hand. "Thanks for everything," he said as they shook. 

Then he was running into the mist, all sound stopping as it washed over him. A shadowy form loomed ahead and he stopped as it emerged; his own face, staring back at him with a surprised expression that must be identical to his own. Both of them grinned at the same moment, and passed each other. 

He was home. Wes could feel it even before he ran to Jen and grabbed her in his arms; almost like a click as he fit back into place, back where he belonged. Wordlessly he hugged her, feeling the tightness of her arms around him, freeing one hand to take Eric's as he held it out. When he looked back, arm still around Jen, the fog was thinning but there was still the faint image of that other beach he had just left, that other Wes with an arm around his Eric in exactly the same attitude as his with Jen. Like mirror images, they raised their hands to wave at the same moment, before the mist faded and dissolved into a few wisps, leaving them under a clear and sunny sky. 

- - -

  
TBC... 


	13. There's No Place Like Home

Wes, Eric, Tommy, Jen and all other characters from Power Rangers belong to Disney/Saban. I am using them without permission, however I have not and don't expect to make money from this. 

Rated PG-13: language, sexual references in the last section, including slash elements. 

**A/N:** For anyone interested in how I adapted Arthurian legend for this story, visit my website for Author's Notes. 

Many thanks as always to all who read and reviewed. Special thanks to Rach aka The Fink, for the PR/King Arthur crossover idea and the contribution of the thunderstorm. And to Shirley Chong, for the idea of the Time Force dimensional travel experiment. She's planning a future story telling about Jen's adventures as she trades places with her other selves in other realities. Special mention to Etcetera Kit, one of whose reviews inspired the use of the MMPR Power Weapons, and to Dagmar Buse, whose agitating for more led to the punchline at the very end. And just - well - thanks to everyone who reviewed, it means a lot to me, and often inspires improvements in my fics. 

**Crossroads**

* * *

No Place Like Home

- - -

Home. Wes knew he had a silly smile on his face, but he didn't care. He stood in the foyer of his house, Jen's hand in his, and took a deep breath as if he could inhale it. Home. 

"Wes?" 

He turned at the hesitant question, and smiled at his father, nodding silently. The next instant, he was grabbed in a hug, his breath cut off as strong arms squeezed him. "Dad," he said as soon as he was freed. "Great to be back. How did you know it was me, instead of the other one?" 

"I could see it in your faces," Collins said, smiling at him. "Plus you're holding hands with Jen." 

"Ah. I guess that's a giveaway." 

"What happened? How did you get back, and where's the other Wes?" 

"The storm came again, and this time the other Wes and I changed places. He's home now, too; we could see them for a few seconds." 

Wes saw a short brunette woman step from behind his father, and was pulled into another hug. "Welcome back, Wes, we were all so worried. Are you okay?" 

"Yeah, I'm fine, Gaby. Nice to see you too." 

"She came over a little while ago, looking for Eric," Collins said. 

"Can't live without me for five minutes, huh?" But Eric moved past him to greet his girlfriend with a kiss. 

He looked around at all four of them, unable to stop smiling. "Man, there's no place like home," he said. The grin grew as he pointed to Jen, Eric, and his father. "You were there, and you, and you... but I'm sure glad to be back." 

"Okay, Dorothy," Eric said. "What happened this time?" 

"Not much really. Except I landed in _your_ bed yesterday morning. That got - pretty weird." 

"Not _my_ bed." Eric snickered. "Yeah, I kinda wondered about that when the Wes you switched with told me he had been shacked up with his Eric when it happened." 

"So, what happened here, Jen, after we were taken away by the storm?" 

She frowned slightly. "Both of you just disappeared in that strange fog, right in front of me... and then it blew away, and the storm broke up in a few minutes, like it had never been there. I searched, and tried calling you with my morpher, but I knew something that wasn't natural had happened. That was the first time I called Time Force. Then yesterday, when Eric and the other Wes showed up, we called again. Didn't know what else to do." 

"It's been a rough few days," Collins commented. "Wondering where both of you were and whether we'd ever see you again." 

"Yeah," Wes said softly. "You got back okay yesterday, Eric?" 

"Yeah, if you can call coming back with the wrong Wes 'okay'. Thought everything was all right until he freaked out, saying he had been asleep and didn't remember anything. I thought you had amnesia until he tried to kiss me." 

"What did you do?" 

"I discouraged him." He smiled at Wes's expression. "Don't look like that, I didn't hit him." 

"You took it better than I did. I punched the other Eric in the face when he - well, never mind what he did." 

Eric stared, and then laughed. "I would have loved to see that. Sounds like you didn't have such a boring time after all." 

Wes shrugged, smiling again. "It worked out. We had some problems, but it was just that he missed his own Wes. He was really a pretty nice guy. A lot like you." 

Eric frowned, perhaps at being called nice. "Anyway. We figured out what must have happened, and I brought him here." 

"Where we called Time Force, and then - waited. That was the hardest part, knowing you were still gone, and this time alone," Jen added. Her hand tightened in Wes's. "How about you? What did you do then?" 

"After I convinced the other Eric to believe me about what was going on, we went to Bio-Lab and contacted the Time Force in that reality. I talked to another version of you, Jen. She said it was an experiment in dimensional travel that somehow affected our time too. She wasn't even the Jen who belonged in that reality; she was from another one. She'd been switching places with her other selves for a while, jumping between dimensions." 

"That explains a few things," Jen said. "Today, I called Time Force again. They wouldn't go into details, but they said they'd been in touch with an alternate reality. It must have been the one that started all this, with that experiment. They were working on a way to get you home, and they gave my Time Force and the one where you were enough of their dimensional transfer technology so that they could help." 

"The other Wes had taken off," Eric continued. "Jen and I figured he might have gone to the beach. We stayed there and talked for a while, and then the storm came. You know the rest." 

"Almost the same things that happened to me," Wes paused thoughtfully. 

"Have to say it's a relief to have you back," Gaby said. "It was bizarre how the other Wes was exactly like you. Except you should have seen the way he kept looking at Eric." 

"He was okay. Felt kind of sorry for him," Eric said. 

"Yes," Jen agreed. "We could see how hard it was for him. Not just being stranded here, but being around the two of us. Pretty uncomfortable for everyone." 

"Must have been rough on you, too." 

"Yes." Her eyes dropped from his. "Having him here, knowing he wasn't you - it wasn't easy. I'm sure he felt the same way every time he saw Eric." 

Wes wrapped an arm around her waist. "Well, we're both back now, safe and sound. And in the future, I'm staying away from thunderstorms." 

"You and me both," Eric agreed emphatically. 

As Jen looked up again, her expression was bright. "Yes - all of you are home now, and everything's all right." 

Gaby broke the brief silence. "From what Eric told us, some of it sounds exciting. Meeting other Rangers. The whole King Arthur business." 

"Yeah... well, I guess some of it was fun. But most of the time, we just wanted to come back." 

"Those other dimensions were just plain screwed up," Eric said. "Growing mutants. Giant robots." 

"Megazords," Wes corrected. 

"Whatever. That guy who wanted to bring back the dinosaurs. A superpowerful witch. A giant floating head in a tube, for Christ's sake." He shuddered. "Sure wouldn't want to live in that kind of a universe." 

"I dunno. Just think: fantastic creatures, fantastic adventures..." Gaby said teasingly. "Every day something new and exciting..." 

"You can have it. Like Wes said, there's no place like home, and I plan on staying right here." 

"Then I think this calls for a celebration," Collins said. "How about a drink, and then we can decide on what to do for dinner." He started into the living room and headed for the bar. Jen and Gaby followed him, laughing over something one of them had said. Eric tapped Wes's arm as he started after them, stopping him for a moment. 

"So, did you have a higher purpose in the gay dimension?" he asked with a smirk. "Change any lives; win any battles before you could move on?" 

"I'm not sure," Wes said seriously. "Maybe. The other Eric and I had a long talk about - things." 

"And that was what you were supposed to do there? Talk?" 

"Yeah. I think that was it. Just talk and hang out, and - accept each other, I guess." He hesitated a moment before asking, "Eric... did it bother you, knowing that you and me... that there's a gay version of you somewhere?" 

"No reason it should." Eric was watching him curiously. "He's got his way; I've got mine." 

"Just what the other Eric said. As he also said, you're exactly alike, except for that one thing." Wes grinned and slapped his partner's shoulder. "You're a good friend, in any dimension. Don't know what I would have done without you." 

"Yeah, well - me too." Eric cleared his throat. "Glad you're back. Was getting tired of Jen and your father and the other Wes moping around." 

"Are you guys coming?" Jen had come back, and held out a hand to Wes as he started towards her. "You know," she continued with a grin as they entered the living room, "now that Time Force has dimensional technology, they're going to want to develop it. And they going to have to experiment. And they're going to be looking for test subjects... like a couple of Rangers..." 

"**NO!**" Wes and Eric exclaimed in horrified unison. 

- End -


End file.
